


The Cult

by alightintheshadows



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Blood and Gore, Brotherly Jean Havoc, Cults, Gen, Parental Riza Hawkeye, Parental Roy Mustang, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25851073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alightintheshadows/pseuds/alightintheshadows
Summary: Roy and his men are sent to infiltrate a cult to solve a string of murders in the Northeast. Unfortunately, they will uncover something far more sinister than any of them could ever imagine.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Jean Havoc, Edward Elric & Riza Hawkeye, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Jean Havoc & Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang
Comments: 88
Kudos: 246





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So me and my lazy butt finally got around to posting this little fic from FFN. This is one of my favorite fics I've ever written, so I hope you all enjoy it as well!

Disciples of the Moon.

It wasn't the name of the cult that creeped out Colonel Roy Mustang, but the mere thought of a cult itself. He gazed out the car window, watching as the field blurred by as they drove along.

"I let the Jones brothers know that you're coming," came a voice from the front seat.

"Thank you, sir," Roy found himself automatically responding.

He glanced at Hawkeye, who somehow managed to give him a reassuring look with her eyes without breaking that mask of hers. She could practically sense his concern. He didn't like the idea of two of his men being within the cult's midst, especially a cult that is potentially connected to a string of murders.

Eight mutilated bodies had been found over the past two months: two after the night of a new moon, and two after the night of a full moon. Nearly every bone in the victims' bodies were broken and crushed, contorting them enough to make for some extremely haunting crime scene photos. Roy almost shuddered just remembering them.

Initially, no connection was made between the victims as the two bodies had been dumped in different places. One would be dumped just outside of Bylyn, a small town one hundred miles north of East City. The other was disposed of on the outskirts of Freyvale, a city just forty miles west of Bylyn.

Nothing lied along those forty miles, except one lone compound known as the Sanct.

Currently, Colonel Mustang and First Lieutenant Hawkeye were riding with mayor of Freyvale, Jonathan Sutton, to the Sanct. Although, they couldn't exactly call themselves Colonel and First Lieutenant for the time being.

"I know the military sent you two because of the murders," Sutton began, "But I know those boys. I've known them since they were kids. They would never do something like that."

"I'm sure they wouldn't," Hawkeye assured with a smile, "We're just doing our job. We were sent to make sure those children are safe. Once we have proof that they are, we'll be on our way."

The mayor seemed to relax. The car came to a stop before a massive wall and a large gate. Barbed wire lined the top of the wall, giving off an almost prison-like aura. Both the military officer's eyes widened. Six armed guards stood at the gate, each one dressed in a white shirt and black pants. They nodded at Sutton as he parked the car. The three of them got out of the vehicle.

"Good to see you again, mayor," one of the guards greeted.

The others moved to open the gate.

"Brother Jeremiah and Brother Absalom will be waiting for you," another said as the gate creaked open. He looked to the two newcomers with a smile. "Welcome to the Sanct."

Roy and Riza returned the smile. The mayor then led them through the gate.

Roy wasn't sure what he was expecting when he arrived at the Sanct, but it certainly wasn't this. His eyes were assaulted with the bright oranges, reds, whites, blues, and pinks of the multitude of flowers in the garden that lied just within the wall. He couldn't help but notice how it contrasted to the intimidating exterior.

"Has anyone ever tried to break into the Sanct?" Roy asked, unable to contain his curiosity as to why there would need to be guards and a giant wall at the entrance.

"Not yet," Sutton began, "From what the brothers have told me, it's just a precaution. They're extremely concerned with others that could be out there to potentially destroy their haven and the ancient manuscripts that lie within. Usually, there are only two guards. Once they heard of the two murders, I guess they decided to increase security."

The Colonel merely nodded. He tried not to let his skepticism slip in the slightest degree.

It just didn't add up.

No connection was made between the victims until the two most recent murders. One of the victims was a young man from Bylyn. After military personnel talked to the family, they discovered that he didn't have any contact with his family over the last few months. He was last seen heading west. The other victim was a woman of Freyvale. Like the other victim, she hadn't had any contact with friends or family in the past year. According to her best friend, she was wanting to head east. That was the last she heard from her friend before she disappeared.

Sutton went to talk to the brothers. They knew both victims as they had been members of the Disciples of the Moon. The three brothers along with the rest of their followers had no idea of their brother and sister's fate.

The previous victims had been from other towns in the Northeast, so the cult initially wasn't under suspicion. Upon further investigation, military personnel found that none of the victims had any sort of contact with their families and friends after they left. While that wasn't exactly concrete evidence that the previous victims were members, it was a pretty safe bet to make.

Once that connection was made, word got to Lieutenant General Grumman. The General had tasked Colonel Mustang to get to the bottom of these murders and to prevent any more if possible.

After receiving the reports from Sutton and realizing the brothers weren't aware of the fate of their former followers except for the most recent victims, Roy wanted to keep it that way. As far as he was concerned, no one in the cult was aware of the military's involvement in the case. According to the reports, the Disciples of the Moon opposed outsiders that had no desire of joining them, especially the military and its state alchemists. The mayor of Freyvale seemed to be the exception, but Roy now realized that was probably due to the fact that he had known the Jones brothers for most of their lives.

"I've lost count of how many times I've been out here, but the Sanct never ceases to amaze me."

Sutton brought the Colonel out of his thoughts. His gaze shifted from the flowers that lined the path they were walking on to the massive concrete building.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. If he had to guess, he would say the size of the Sanct rivaled that of Eastern Command.

As the story goes, the three brothers left Freyvale after their parents died in a car accident several years ago. They supposedly wandered all around the Northeast before stumbling upon the Sanct. They claimed to have found a circle surrounded by stars carved into one of the various interior walls. It was obvious the circle was meant to represent the moon. It's also been said that they found manuscripts full of scriptures as they looked around what would then become their new home.

What was in those manuscripts, Roy had absolutely no idea. He didn't really care to know. All he could think about were his men currently inside the Sanct.

The closer the three got to the massive structure, he noticed that there wasn't a door, but an archway that acted as the entrance to the Sanct. Roy barely got a peek of the grass just beyond the archway when two men, dressed in a white shirt and black pants like the guards, approached them. While one was a few inches taller than the other, the similar shaggy brown hair and blue eyes indicated that this two were the brothers.

"Jonathan, it's so good to see you again!" one of them greeted the mayor.

The two men embraced the mayor before turning to the Colonel and First Lieutenant.

"You two must be from child protective services in East City," the other observed.

Sutton nodded and gestured to the two.

"This is Elizabeth Hawkins and Wren Elkin."

"It certainly is a pleasure to meet you both!" the one to greet Sutton said. "My name is Absalom Jones."

He raced forward to shake Riza's hand.

"And I'm Jeremiah," the other brother said with a wry smile, extending his hand to Roy.

The Colonel gave the brothers the warmest smile he could muster. He did have appearances to keep up after all. Since the Disciples of the Moon were anti-military, going undercover as workers from child protective services seemed to be the best option of getting into the Sanct without any unnecessary complications.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both as well."

"Corinthian is sorry he couldn't be here to properly greet you two," Absalom said, "He's currently leading our congregation in our morning prayer. You will get to meet him afterward as well as interview the children."

That explained why the third brother wasn't currently with them. However, Roy did notice the slight change in Absalom's tone.

"We're sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances," Riza apologized. "And we're sorry for the loss your congregation has suffered."

"It's such a shame," Jeremiah piped in, "Those two had just received a sign from the Moon to go out into the world and find more of his followers just like their other brothers and sisters, and they never got the chance to…I'm sorry. I know this must be a bit strange for you both to hear."

That was certainly and understatement.

Since they stumbled upon the carving of the moon and the manuscripts, the Jones brothers believed it was the moon that brought them there to the Sanct. To them, the moon wasn't just an astronomical body that orbited the Earth. They claimed the moon to be a celestial being, just waiting for humanity to make contact with it and to find a way to physically reach it. Supposedly, the moon was going to guide them through the universe into a heavenly afterlife.

There was probably more to it than that, but that was all Roy cared to know. He wasn't assigned this mission to understand the Disciples of the Moon. He was given the mission to solve a string of murders.

"Not at all," Roy lied smoothly, "We just want to make it completely clear that this isn't in any way against your beliefs or way of life. With the recent murders, the military just wants to make sure the children in your congregation are in a safe place."

Well, part of that wasn't a lie. It was the military's duty to protect the people of Amestris. However, that wasn't the sole reason he was here.

"We understand completely," Jeremiah replied as he started to guide them further into the Sanct, "While we aren't exactly fond of the military, we do understand their concerns."

Roy almost staggered as he crossed through the archway. He wasn't entirely sure if he could put into words how he was feeling…suffocated, perhaps? It was if he had stepped into a completely different dimension. He couldn't explain what it was, but something was just wrong.

He glanced to his First Lieutenant, but she didn't look to be affected in the slightest.

He instantly understood why his men called him earlier than planned.

**_*flashback*_ **

_Roy stared at the papers that were strewn across his desk. He nearly jumped when the phone rang through the silence that previously filled his office._

_"This is Colonel Mustang," he answered professionally, trying to sound like he didn't just have a heart attack seconds ago._

_"Really? I never would have guessed when I called your phone that you would be the one to answer, Colonel."_

_He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose._

_"Breda, I'm really not in the mood for your sarcasm. Why the hell are you calling already? Havoc and Fullmetal have only been there for three days. Please don't tell me Fullmetal destroyed the building already…."_

_The Colonel thought the best way to investigate the cult would be to send in Second Lieutenant Havoc and the Fullmetal Alchemist undercover as brothers. From what he knew about the Disciples of the Moon, new members were fairly common._

_Despite the strangeness of the cult, it had grown from just the three brothers to over two hundred members in the past couple of years. How or why anyone believed the Jones brothers and their tale of the moon, he would never know or understand._

_He didn't like the fact that he and Hawkeye were staying behind in East City for a few more days. Fuery, Breda, Falman, and a few other soldiers were already stationed in an abandoned warehouse in Freyvale. General Grumman thought it would be best for him and Hawkeye to wait a few days before joining the rest of his men._

_After reading the reports from Mayor Sutton, the General realized that the Disciples of the Moon were anti-military. He didn't want to cause any more problems than necessary. Even though they would be undercover, he thought it would be best for them to stagger their arrival. Freyvale may have been a city, but it still wasn't very big and an influx of people would have been rather noticeable._

_Since the Colonel and First Lieutenant's roles wouldn't come in until later, he suggested that they be the ones to stay behind. Other soldiers from East City would accompany them there as well. It was always good to have extra men in case things turned for the worst._

_Breda chuckled when he heard the genuine concern in his commanding officer's voice._

_"Relax, Colonel. The kid hasn't blown anything up yet."_

_Roy's brow furrowed when he heard the tone of Breda's voice. While Ed may not have done something reckless, whatever his Second Lieutenant called about had to do with the young alchemist._

_"Is he okay?"_

_He couldn't help but feel concerned for his two undercover men. He made sure Ed was well aware that the Disciples of the Moon opposed alchemy. This made him a bit wary of sending the teen undercover in the first place. While Ed could take care of himself, not being able to rely on alchemy was going to prove to be a challenge for him. However, there was no way the cult would expect such a young boy to be part of the military. This would allow them to infiltrate and investigate without raising suspicions._

_Since there weren't a whole lot of options, he did make sure to tell Ed that if his and Havoc's lives depended on it that he could use alchemy to protect themselves and get them out._

_"He's…uh…something's wrong, Colonel," Breda responded._

_"What makes you say that? Has their cover been blown? Did you guys hear something?"_

_He couldn't stop himself from asking question after question. Fuery, being the technical genius that he was, sent Havoc and Fullmetal in with small microphones to bug the Sanct wherever they saw fit. Everything was supposed to be set in place by now so the military officers in the warehouse could listen in._

_"Sir, calm down…it's just…Havoc bugged his and Ed's beds so they could talk to us. We can hear in Ed's voice that he's just exhausted, almost like he's ill. The past three nights he's been there, we hear him tossing and turning in his sleep. I don't think he's slept at all. Havoc managed to get some time alone and he told us that the kid apparently looks worse than he sounds. He's doing as you asked and getting along with the other kids in the cult. Havoc says he's doing very well in that respect, but it's whenever they're alone that he can see Ed's not doing well at all. Havoc has tried asking him what's wrong, but Ed won't tell him and just says it's nothing. He's really worried about the kid. Colonel, we saw Ed before they left. He was perfectly fine. Havoc said this all began the second they arrived at the Sanct. We…we just don't know what we should do."_

_The Colonel racked his brain, trying to figure out the best course of action. Ed was tough. Something seriously had to be wrong._

_He made his decision._

_"I'm coming."_

_He hung up the phone and left his office. Hawkeye was sitting at her desk, alone. The Colonel would never get used to the rest of his men not being there._

_"Lieutenant, call Mayor Sutton. We're leaving."_

_Hawkeye immediately obeyed without any questions. He would have a lot to explain to General Grumman, but he would worry about that later. His men came before anything._

**_*end flashback*_ **

Roy understood why Fullmetal didn't tell the Second Lieutenant what was wrong. Looking at Hawkeye, the mayor, and the two brothers, it seemed that he was the only one that could feel the strange energy that surrounded this place.

If this was the same thing Ed was feeling and Havoc couldn't, Havoc wouldn't be able to understand what the young alchemist was going through. Hell, Ed might even think it's just all in his head and nothing is off in the slightest in reality.

Trying to ignore the dark aura that surrounded him, the Colonel kept in stride with the others. He glanced around. They were in what looked like a courtyard. It seemed enormous, probably due to the fact that there wasn't anyone aside from them out there.

"It's so beautiful," Hawkeye commented as she gazed at the stone fountain in the middle of the courtyard.

She gazed at the eight-foot tall lamp posts that lined their path and the yellow orbs on top of them. More of them were scattered throughout the enclosure. She couldn't help but think how gorgeous the courtyard must look with those lights illuminating it in the dark. Actually she was surprised they weren't on now.

She turned her eyes up to the sky. Dark clouds were rolling in. She remembered hearing that it might rain. She looked at Roy out of the corner of her eye. His gaze was on the sky as well and his mouth was set in a grim line.

"You three arrived just in time," Absalom said, bringing the two military officers out of their thoughts. "Corinthian should be finished with morning prayer."

The two brothers led them up the stone steps to a set of oak wood double doors. Jeremiah opened them.

They were greeted with the sight what had to be at least two hundred people on their knees in the pews with their heads bowed. Like Jeremiah and Absalom, all of the men were wearing a white shirt and black pants. All of the women were wearing simple white dresses.

One man stood on the stage in front of everyone. Roy assumed this was Corinthian.

"May the Moon be with us all! May the Moon guide us all! May the Moon save us all!" he proclaimed.

The entire congregation echoed his words.

"May the Moon be with us all! May the Moon guide us all! May the Moon save us all!"

For reasons the Colonel couldn't explain, he was creeped out. The congregation rose to its feet, everyone making their way to exit what must have been the sanctuary. Despite the sea of people, he spotted a head with a blonde ponytail in a heartbeat.

Ed maneuvered out of the pew with Havoc right behind him. Roy wasn't surprised to see the two were together. They were posing as brothers after all. The second the young alchemist turned around, he locked eyes with his commanding officer.

He tried to seem oblivious to the Colonel's presence, but Roy noticed that his eyes widened slightly. The Colonel knew that Ed wasn't expecting him for a few more days. He glanced at Havoc. He could see a similar surprise in the Second Lieutenant's eyes, but they were mostly filled with relief.

To everyone else in the Disciples of the Moon, Ed probably seemed normal. Since the kid had been under his command for the past three years, he knew better. That passionate fire that resided within the young alchemist was gone. He could tell just by looking at the kid. While Ed was undercover, the Colonel knew this wasn't right.

There was something else in Ed's eyes, something he never thought he would see in them.

Fear.

Ed was scared.

Roy knew instantly that he made the right decision by coming here.

"Come along," Jeremiah said, motioning for him and Riza to follow him. "I'll introduce you to Corinthian. Then you two can talk to the kids and their parents."

Both military officers nodded. The Colonel reluctantly looked away from his subordinates. He and Hawkeye were supposed to interview all of the children and teens before they left the Sanct. He would have his chance to talk to Ed.

But it couldn't come fast enough.


	2. Chapter 2

"What the hell are they doing here?" Ed hissed as Havoc grabbed his arm.

Havoc led the young alchemist out of the sanctuary through one of the side doors and ushered him down the hall. Looking over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed, he took Ed far enough away from the rest of the congregation to ensure they wouldn't be overheard.

"Chief, you're not okay," Havoc said as he spun around to face the teen, "I know you haven't been sleeping and I know something is bothering you."

"I've told you before, I'm fine."

Ed moved to walk away from the Second Lieutenant, but Havoc wasn't having that. He grabbed Ed's shoulders, keeping him in place. He didn't speak until the teen finally looked him in the eyes.

"Ed, I'm worried about you and I know the others in Freyvale have to be worried about you too. They wouldn't have called Mustang if they thought everything was okay. You say you're fine, but you aren't fooling me and you sure as hell won't be able to fool the Colonel."

"I never asked for you to worry!" Ed snapped. "Besides, I can look out for myself. There's nothing for you to be concerned about."

Havoc let out a frustrated sigh. He should've expected something like that from the kid.

"Well, that's too bad. While this mission is important, so is your well-being. The Colonel wouldn't have sent us in here if he didn't think you could help figure out what's going on with these murders. You can't exactly do that when you're not sleeping and taking care of yourself, can you? You might be fine for a couple of days, but you won't last long like this."

Havoc expected another heated retort from the young alchemist, but was surprised when Ed didn't say anything and couldn't meet his gaze any longer. This only further concerned the Second Lieutenant. It seemed Ed didn't even have the energy to argue with him.

"I don't have the slightest idea of what's bothering you," Havoc continued. "You don't have to tell me, but I'm begging you to at least tell the Colonel. He probably had to go against General Grumman's orders to be here. He could potentially get in a lot of trouble for that. Please don't let it be for nothing."

Ed sighed wearily, knowing Havoc was right.

"We should probably join the rest of the congregation before anyone notices we're gone," he suggested.

Havoc nodded, giving the teen a comforting smile and keeping a hand on his shoulder as they walked down the hall.

***break***

"Thank you so much for your time," Roy said as he escorted a little boy and his mom out the door.

After meeting Corinthian, the three brothers led him and his First Lieutenant out of the sanctuary. They took them to two separate rooms. Understandably, they felt more comfortable with Riza talking to the girls in the congregation, so that left the Colonel to talk to the boys.

So far, it had gone about as he had expected it to. Once he and Riza arrived in Freyvale, they spent the night in the warehouse with the others that arrived before them. Breda, Falman, and Fuery had briefed them on everything they had learned so far.

Ed discovered for a fact that all of the victims had at one point been a member of the Disciples of the Moon after talking with some of the other teens in the cult. In reality, it was quite sad. Some of the people that Ed befriended weren't even aware of the fate of their brothers, sisters, and parents.

Roy snapped out of his thoughts when he heard laughter coming down the hall. He looked up to see Absalom walking with an arm slung around Ed's shoulders. He felt relieved to see one of the brothers finally bring Ed to him. To make sure the kids weren't scared, one of the brothers would accompany them to him or his First Lieutenant. In the case of the younger children, their parents would join them for the interview. Most of the teens had been interviewed alone.

He couldn't hear what Ed said next, but it had Absalom grinning from ear to ear. The brother gestured to the boy.

"Wren, this is Edward! He and his older brother just joined us a few days ago and it has been such a joy to have them both in our congregation. Ed's so eager to learn our way of life and what the Moon wants for us. He's adjusted quite well and has already been making friends with the other kids in our congregation!"

A genuine smile made its way on Roy's face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Edward," the Colonel said, extending a hand out to the teen, "It's so good to hear you're settling in."

While he and his youngest subordinate had been known for their frequent spats and arguments, he knew he could count on the kid. It might not be in the manner he always wanted it to be, but Ed and Al always completed whatever mission he assigned them.

The Colonel didn't usually get to see Ed while he was on a mission, so he couldn't help but be glad to see that Ed had not only been following orders and fitting in with the cult, but he seemed to be excelling at it.

Despite his satisfaction with the boy's work on the mission thus far, it wasn't enough to make him forget why he was here in the first place.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, sir," Ed responded, shaking his commanding officer's hand.

The Colonel had to stop himself from chuckling. It had to be killing the young alchemist on the inside to be forced to address him so respectfully. Absalom turned to leave the two.

"I'll tell your brother you're here, Edward. He'll probably be waiting for you when you two are finished."

With that, he left the two alchemists alone. The Colonel stepped to the side and gestured to the room, a silent order for Ed to hurry up and get in so they could talk. Once they were both inside, he shut the door and faced the table and chairs.

"Sit."

Despite the quietness of his voice, the tone didn't allow for questions or protests. While the door was shut and none of the brothers seemed to be sticking around for these interviews, he wanted to be completely sure they wouldn't be overheard. Silently, the normally stubborn Fullmetal Alchemist slumped in the chair. The Colonel sat down across from him. Ed refused to look him in the eyes, staring down at the table in front of him.

"What's going on with you?" Roy asked, not even bothering to beat around the bush. He interrupted Ed when the kid opened his mouth. "And if you dare say that you're fine, I swear I will court-martial you, Fullmetal."

Ed quickly shut his mouth. The Colonel didn't have a single doubt that Havoc had a talk with the kid, but Ed probably was going to claim that nothing was wrong out of habit.

They didn't have time for this argument. Roy needed to know what was wrong with his youngest subordinate, and he needed to know now. However, this would be difficult to find out as the kid was still reluctant to speak.

The Colonel sighed.

"In case you're wondering, Al made it to Resembool just fine. He called me when he arrived and asked me to tell you not to worry about him if I got the chance. Now you know your brother is fine. Although, I have a feeling that isn't what's bothering you."

He saw Ed visibly relax when he told him that Al was fine. He didn't see a reason for Ed to think otherwise since he was just going back to their hometown while he was on this mission, but he also didn't have a younger brother. Just being separated had to make Ed anxious to some degree.

However, it wouldn't cause him to hardly sleep for three days.

"I hate this, Colonel," Ed muttered, barely audible. "I hate everything about this cult. Everyone just seems like they would be lost without the Jones brothers. One of the first things I learned when I got here was that only the three brothers were worthy enough to see the manuscripts. These people don't even have scriptures or a book or anything to validate what the brothers are telling them. They hear their words and they act like it's law. It's terrifying to see everyone follow the brothers so blindly…just…why would they do that?"

Mustang shook his head.

"I wish I had an answer for you. I don't understand it either."

Ed finally looked Mustang in the eyes.

"I feel terrible for Zayne. He's only a year younger than me. He was the one to show me around the Sanct and help guide me through the prayers and services the brothers conduct every day. His father was one of the first victims. He told me that his dad and another man in the congregation received a calling from the Moon. The last time Zayne saw his dad was when he followed the Jones brothers out of the sanctuary. He still thinks his dad is alive. Every one of the victims supposedly received some sort of calling from the Moon, and I hate seeing people hope they get one during the evening service before the full moon tomorrow night. They don't have the slightest idea of what's happening. Colonel…we have to help these people."

Hearing this all from Ed concerned the older alchemist. He knew the Disciples of the Moon were probably left in the dark about what happened to their brothers and sisters, but hearing that other members were hoping to receive the same calling the victims supposedly had was nothing less than disturbing.

"I know you want to help these people," Roy started, "However, until we have concrete evidence that this cult is behind the murders, there isn't much we can do."

Ed looked back down at the table, his mouth setting into a grim line. He knew the Colonel was right, but he didn't like it. As of right now, all they had proof of was that there was an entire congregation of people that believed a wacky tale about the moon told by three brothers. That in and of itself wasn't illegal.

"I know," Ed whispered.

A moment of silence passed between the two alchemists. Roy thought about how to proceed next. He was finally getting one of his most stubborn subordinates to open up about what was bothering him, but he needed to tread carefully. There was still something that Ed wasn't telling him.

"I understand that you're worried about these people, but I don't think that would cause you to barely sleep for three days," he ventured.

Ed tensed yet again. He looked absolutely torn. The Colonel could practically hear the teen's thoughts battling in his mind.

"Did you feel it after you crossed the archway?" Roy asked, putting an end to the war raging in Ed's head.

Ed's eyes widened. Roy knew he was right about the feeling he got when he first arrived at the Sanct. The young alchemist could feel the dark, suffocating aura that surrounded the Sanct along with him.

"You can feel it too?"

The hope was evident in Ed's voice. The Colonel nodded.

"Do you have any idea what it is?" Roy asked next.

Ed bit his lip. It was obvious that he had an idea, but something was holding him back from talking about it.

"Did Fuery give you a microphone?"

The Colonel was taken aback by the question, but nodded anyway. He did have one hidden underneath his shirt. Hawkeye had one as well. In the event something went wrong, they would at least have a way of contacting the military personnel at the warehouse.

Ed swallowed. He still remained hesitant, but decided to speak anyway.

"The last time I felt something like this…was when I lost my arm and leg."

That certainly caught Roy's attention. Without even thinking, he reached into the pocket of his slacks and took out a small metallic device with wires attached that disappeared under his shirt and connected to the microphone hidden there. He turned it off, making sure Ed could see it. He would apologize to Fuery about that later. Hopefully they wouldn't panic at the sudden loss of contact.

"They can't hear us, Fullmetal. Tell me everything."

Ed took a deep breath.

"Right after Al and I activated the human transmutation circle, we both knew something was wrong. The energy all around us turned dark, almost evil. Then the rebound hit us. I feel that same dark energy that we felt that night. I have ever since I stepped foot into the Sanct. It just doesn't make sense. The Disciples of the Moon oppose alchemy because they claim something called the Darkness created it to destroy everything that was made by the Moon's design. They believe alchemy to be evil, so I don't know why I'm feeling this dark energy when alchemy isn't even being performed here."

The Colonel would be lying if he said he wasn't confused as well. However, he would worry about that later. Right now, he would find satisfaction in the fact that he finally had some answers.

Everything made sense. Of course Ed couldn't explain something like this to Havoc. Only a handful of people knew why Ed had two automail limbs and that Al was just an empty suit of armor. While the men in Mustang's unit wouldn't tell a single soul, the same couldn't be said about the other soldiers sent to Freyvale. If word of this got to the higher ups, there's no telling what punishment the young alchemist would face or what would happen to his brother.

He also understood why he saw the fear in Ed's eyes when he saw the kid in the sanctuary. The young alchemist was aware of only one source for this kind of energy. Knowing what he did now, he would be more concerned if Ed wasn't a bit scared.

"What's frustrating me most is that this is just a feeling," Ed continued, "Feelings aren't concrete evidence. I honestly thought I was losing my mind when nobody else could sense it. I don't think you understand how relieved I am that you can feel it too."

"Is this why you aren't sleeping?" Roy asked next.

Ed nodded, shifting his gaze back down to the table.

"The first night Lieutenant Havoc and I got here, I had a nightmare about that monster Al and I created. I fell back asleep, but I had the same nightmare and nearly woke up screaming. Al told me that I sometimes talk in my sleep, especially when I'm dreaming about that night. I'm worried that if I fall asleep, I'll say or do something that will blow our cover."

Roy couldn't help but take pride in how selfless Ed was. He was willing to sacrifice sleeping because he was afraid he would endanger himself and Havoc and lose their chance to get to the bottom of these murders, but he couldn't continue like this.

There was no telling how long he and Havoc were going to have to stay at the Sanct.

"Fullmetal," Roy said to get the boy's attention, "I understand. It's admirable of you to care so much about these people and about solving these murders, but you can't go on like this. Tell Havoc to stay up for a few hours to watch you while you sleep. If you have a nightmare and start talking in your sleep, he'll be able to wake you. Say it's a direct order from me."

Ed looked uncomfortable. It wasn't difficult for Roy to figure out what he was thinking.

"It's not going to be any trouble for him to do that. He'll be more than happy to as long as you get some sleep. You need to be at your best. The sooner we figure out what's going on, the sooner we can get you two out of here."

The Colonel was expecting some form of protest from the kid, but Ed simply nodded. He turned his microphone back on and concealed the metallic device back in his pocket.

"Everything's going to be okay," he said as he stood up.

Saying that killed two birds with one stone. He got to reassure Ed as well as let the others back at the warehouse know that they were fine. He would explain what he could to them later.

He guided Ed back to the door. Like Absalom said, Havoc was waiting for Ed just outside of the room. Since he could hear footsteps coming down the hall, indicating another child coming to be interviewed, he settled for nodding at the Second Lieutenant. Considering Havoc reciprocated the movement, it was safe to say he understood.

As the two walked away, Roy couldn't stop the dread brewing within him as he thought about what Ed had shared with him. If it was even possible, the energy surrounding him seemed even darker and more ominous. He and Ed wouldn't be able to sense it if it didn't exist.

"What the hell is going on here?" he muttered under his breath as he watched his subordinates disappear.

***break***

"Please, we would be honored to have you all join us for lunch!" Jeremiah insisted as he guided the two military officers and the mayor through the courtyard. "My wife told me that she and some of the young girls she's teaching to cook are making stew for the congregation today."

All of the members of the congregation began swarming a door just to the right of the double doors of the sanctuary. It didn't take an expert to guess that this was where the Disciples of the Moon ate together.

Roy scanned through the mass of people. He could see Corinthian and Absalom talking with other members of their congregation as they headed to lunch. He spotted Ed chatting with a brown-haired boy around his age. He figured that this was Zayne. Instantly, he understood why Ed felt so bad for the him. From the looks of it, he was just a happy kid without a care in the world, unaware that his father was brutally murdered.

He snapped out of his reverie when the First Lieutenant spoke up.

"You brothers really are too kind," Hawkeye said with a warm smile.

"You two will be free to continue with the interviews after lunch. I'm sorry we had to stop, but our congregation eats every meal together. We believe that it's—"

Jeremiah was cut off by the sound of gunshots. From the sounds of it, it came from the gate. Screams resounded within the crowd of people.

"Jeremiah, Absalom! Get everyone inside!" Corinthian ordered.

He along with several other men that had quickly armed themselves with rifles rushed to the front gate. The Colonel's eyes widened and he glanced at Hawkeye. It seemed like the Disciples of the Moon didn't just have a few guards, but their own militia.

The two military officers were herded into the sanctuary along with several members of the cult. Once everyone was in, the doors were slammed shut. A couple more armed men stood by the doors, waiting in case they were needed to protect the congregation.

Riza leaned in close to her commanding officer.

"Do you have any idea what's happening?" she whispered, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

The Colonel shook his head. He knew his men weren't the cause of those gunshots. They were under strict orders to remain at the warehouse unless ordered otherwise. They knew better than to disobey his orders.

It was easy to see that the First Lieutenant didn't like not knowing what was going on. He didn't like it either. His first instinct was to join the men running to the gate, but he had a cover to keep.

He glanced around at the other people in the sanctuary with them. From the looks of it, no one had any idea what was going on. Unfortunately, all they could do was wait.

***break***

"What's going on?" Corinthian demanded as he and his followers stormed the front gate.

One of the guards was clutching his arm to his chest. Another was sprawled out on the ground. His chest was rising and falling very slowly.

A few more men were on the ground, blood spreading into a puddle around them. It was obvious they weren't members of the cult by their clothes.

"You killed my daughter!" came a screech.

Corinthian saw a couple of the guards struggling to keep a man pinned on the ground. A few of the men that joined him assisted the guards with the man. The others moved to get the injured guards back to the Sanct.

"Brother Corinthian," one of the guards spoke up, "This man and a few others shot at us and tried to break into the Sanct. Only two of us were hit. We had to defend our haven. Unfortunately, that meant the casualties of those that came with him."

Once the struggling newcomer was securely pinned down, Corinthian approached him.

"You bastard!" the man spat at him. "My daughter is dead because of you!"

Corinthian felt a pang of sadness. Remembering his congregation's recently deceased sister, he knelt down next to the man.

"I'm so sorry," he said with genuine sympathy. "She was a wonderful member of our congregation. Everyone was so sad when they heard of her passing. We all miss her dearly."

He was initially angry that the man tried to storm into their haven, but in a way he understood. This man was a grieving father. It didn't excuse him for his actions, but he was probably just angry and wanted to find out what led his daughter to her demise. Corinthian would be lying if he said he wasn't at all curious about what happened to their deceased brother and sister either.

"How dare you say that!" the man roared, resuming his struggling. "You all are the ones that killed her and all those other people! Don't try to deny it. The military is already on to you and your brothers!"

At this, Corinthian's eyebrows rose. From the looks on his followers' faces, they were shocked at this information.

The grieving father stopped his struggling. His body started shaking. It took Corinthian a few moments to realize he was laughing, but it wasn't a normal laugh. It was on the border of insanity.

"I don't know what's going on in that psychotic cult of yours, but I know the military already has men on the inside. From what I hear, they've even sent in a state alchemist. I know you and your followers are no match for them. Whatever you and your brothers are doing to those poor people, it's about to come to an end!"

Corinthian's face darkened. Slowly, he rose to his feet.

"Brother Corinthian?" someone asked, not liking the look on his face.

A few moments of silence passed. Corinthian inhaled deeply. He looked to his followers with fiery, determined eyes.

"Brothers, prepare yourselves. It looks like the Darkness has invaded our haven."

***break***

The Colonel hated waiting, especially when he had absolutely no idea of what was happening. Most of all, he wished Havoc and Ed had been ushered into the sanctuary along with him and Hawkeye. However, the congregation had unfortunately been separated while taking cover.

If there was any upside, it was that one of the guards had summoned Jeremiah. Hopefully they would all find out what was going on soon.

As if his wish had been granted, the double doors opened. However, more armed men walked in before anyone could exit.

They looked angry.

They were coming straight for the Colonel and his First Lieutenant.

"Will you two please come with us?" one of them asked, but it wasn't a request considering the two military officers were grabbed by the arm and escorted out of the sanctuary before giving them an answer.

This was definitely not a good sign.

Roy and Riza were forced deeper into the Sanct until they arrived at a room and were roughly pushed in. More armed men were waiting for them inside. A few members of the cult were there, silently standing against the stone wall. A woman and her young son were obviously scared. The kid was crying and clutching on to his mom's dress.

The two military officers nearly froze when they saw Havoc and Ed there as well.

"Against the wall!" one of the guards ordered, prodding the two with his rifle.

With no protests, the Colonel and First Lieutenant strode over to the wall. The only remaining space was next to Havoc. He shot them a nervous glance before turning his eyes forward. The silence and tension in the room was nearly suffocating.

The arrival of the Jones brothers didn't make it any better.

A very pissed off Corinthian stormed up to those against the wall, eyeing each one of them.

"I'm sorry to have to bring you all here," he began with a cold edge to his voice, "But it has been brought to our attention that the military has infiltrated the Sanct in light of our brother and sister's murders. They even believed that it was necessary to send in a state alchemist."

Some of the other members audibly gasped. Corinthian brought his intimidating gaze to the Colonel and First Lieutenant.

"Since you all are the most recent members to join our congregation with the inclusion of our guests, I'm afraid you all are under suspicion."

He stopped in front of the two military officers. Without taking his eyes off of them, he reached out behind him to accept a rifle from one of the guards. When Roy met his eyes, he knew they were in deep trouble.

"So which one of you is it?"


	3. Chapter 3

The Colonel remained as still as a statue against the wall, unable to look away from Corinthian's gaze. Even though he wasn't touching her, he could almost feel the tension in his First Lieutenant.

How on earth did the Jones brothers find out the military was involved? He didn't need to be back at the warehouse in Freyvale to know the rest of his team was wondering the same thing. His men would never do something so reckless on a mission like this. A mission with the lives of so many innocent people at stake.

He didn't know how the Jones brothers figured out they had infiltrated the Sanct. He'd figure that out later. He racked his brain as he tried to formulate some sort of plan that could get everyone out of this situation relatively unscathed.

When Corinthian took a step back and aimed the rifle at his chest, he knew the chances of that were slim.

"Which one of you is the state alchemist?" he growled, annoyed with the lack of an answer.

The thought of reaching for his gloves briefly crossed Roy's mind, but he also knew that he would probably get shot before his hand even made it into his pocket.

"Brother, you need to calm down," Jeremiah tried to reason.

Corinthian whirled around to face his brothers.

"No! How can you possibly expect me to calm down? The Darkness has invaded our haven!" He whipped around to face the suspects yet again. "Those of you that were sent in by the military, would you be willing to reveal the state alchemist to us?"

Everyone still remained silent except for the young boy that was clinging to his mother.

Roy tried to think rationally. Maybe if he gave himself up, he could try to convince them that Riza didn't know who he really was. Her cover could remain intact. However, Corinthian seemed to be under the impression that there were multiple military officers within the Sanct. That along with the fact that he seemed to be staring the two of them down the most made the odds of him believing Hawkeye wasn't in the military highly unlikely.

Riza's hand twitched, just itching to reach for one of her firearms. She had to control this impulse. Even if she were to take out Corinthian, she wouldn't be able to take the other two brothers or their multitude of guards present in the room with them. That aside, the other cult members present could get caught in the crossfire if things got violent. She would not be the cause of that, but she had to protect the Colonel and her comrades.

"It seems as if no one is willing to speak up," Corinthian said with a strange calmness as he gestured to the guards.

Each person against the wall now had a gun trained on them. There was a whimper from the mother who was clinging to her son for dear life.

"Now is anyone willing to talk?" Corinthian continued. "Or am I going to have to just kill each and every one of you to rid the Sanct of the Darkness?"

"Corinthian, please be reasonable!" Jeremiah pleaded, but his brother didn't even acknowledge him.

Corinthian made eye contact with Roy yet again, his mouth quirking a fraction to form a cold smirk.

The Colonel nearly sighed in defeat. There was no indication that the Disciples of the Moon were violent from what he read in the reports, but he now realized that the brothers were willing to do anything to protect their little delusion, even if it meant killing their followers.

Well, Corinthian was. Jeremiah didn't seem to be quite so rash. Absalom silently stood by, making no move to side with either of his brothers.

The Amestrian military was supposed to protect the people. Corinthian seemed to know that and was using that to his advantage. He knew the undercover military officers wouldn't stand by and let innocent people get hurt.

Although, the thought crossed his mind that it could just be a bluff.

The gunshot that rang out through the tense silence determined otherwise.

A young man that was standing on the far end of the wall cried out in pain. He clutched his right shoulder and slid down the wall. All of the women in the room screamed with the exception of Riza. While she did not scream, Roy could see the slightest betrayal of fear in her eyes, but he knew it wasn't fear for herself.

Havoc could practically feel the anger radiating off of Ed. The kid unconsciously moved toward the man that was shot to try to help him, but the Second Lieutenant's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"That was a warning. The next shot will be fatal. Now, one last chance, which one of you is the state alchemist?" Corinthian demanded.

The Colonel took a deep breath. Corinthian wasn't making hollow threats. He didn't have time to come up with a plan. He had only one option.

"It's me."

Roy's eyes widened and his blood ran cold through his veins. It might as well have turned to ice. Corinthian's eyes mirrored the Colonel's as they turned to the youth standing next to Havoc.

"Edward?" Absalom questioned, his brow furrowing.

"He's too young," Jeremiah muttered.

The three brothers exchanged confused looks with one another, none of them really knowing what to think. Absalom suddenly perked up. His previously impassive eyes were now alight with a newfound coldness and understanding.

"Take your shoes off," he commanded.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Ed did as he was told, revealing a flesh and automail foot.

Absalom moved to Corinthian's side and whispered something in his ear. The same understanding in Absalom's eyes were now present in his brother's.

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," Corinthian observed, "The youngest state alchemist in Amestrian history. The one that doesn't even need to draw a circle to destroy what the Moon has already created."

He dropped his gun and moved in closer to the teen. Ed quickly glanced around. The Colonel figured he was trying to determine a way out of this, much like he had been just moments ago. Given the guns that were not only pointed at him, but also all the others in the room, Ed knew there wasn't going to be a way out without someone getting hurt or potentially killed, even with alchemy.

Corinthian grabbed Ed by his neck and slammed him against the wall. He raised the young alchemist up until his feet couldn't touch the ground. Out of reflex, Ed's hands clawed at the one around his throat.

"Get your hands off him!" Havoc yelled as he tried to yank Corinthian away from Ed.

The Second Lieutenant didn't care if he got hurt. He needed to stop this psychopath from strangling the kid.

The guards sprang into action without even needing to be asked. Two grabbed Havoc and pulled him off Corinthian.

"Search them," Jeremiah demanded as he gestured to the Colonel and First Lieutenant.

Both military officers found themselves spun around and shoved against the wall.

"This one has a gun," the guard searching Riza commented.

Roy felt a pair of hands on his ankles to start the search, already landing on the gun he had strapped to his right leg.

"So does this one," he heard just behind him.

The search continued. It didn't take the guards long to find the microphones hidden on them, or the other gun that the First Lieutenant had hidden on her. The guard searching the Colonel paused when he felt something in the front left pocket of Roy's slacks. He pulled out the pair of gloves concealed within it. He immediately noticed the strange markings on it, cocking his head to the side as if to figure out what it was.

The Colonel nearly sighed in frustration. Could this situation get any worse?

"What did you find?" Absalom asked, noticing the guard's hesitation.

The guard handed over Roy's ignition gloves. The Colonel saw Riza's eyes widen as well as Ed's. Although in Ed's case, that could have been from the lack of air.

"What is it, brother?" Jeremiah asked.

Absalom gulped and dropped the gloves. He took a few shaky steps back.

"Those gloves have a transmutation circle on them."

Roy could feel everyone's eyes turn to him. He tried to think. They already knew Ed was the undercover state alchemist. Revealing that there was another one within the Sanct might make the brothers angry enough to get them both killed, but he couldn't let Ed just take the fall for it.

He had to think of something.

Unfortunately, Ed seemed to be a step ahead of him.

"They're…mine…." Ed choked out.

Corinthian dropped the young alchemist. The kid collapsed on the ground as he gasped for air.

"That's how…I can transmute…without…drawing…a circle…." He rasped out in between gulps of precious air. Once he fully caught his breath, he continued. "I didn't think I would need them because I didn't think you all were behind the murders. I've determined otherwise, so I ordered him to bring them to me in case I needed them."

Ed really hoped the Jones brothers didn't know enough about him to know that was a lie. No one aside from another alchemist could even begin to understand how his alchemy worked. Hopefully they would believe it.

The gaze in Corinthian's eyes grew even colder. He delivered a harsh kick to Ed's stomach, causing the kid to hit the wall behind him. He briefly turned around to face his loyal followers.

"Search his and Jean's beds. They must have some sort of microphones hidden somewhere in them." He turned his attention back to Ed once some of the guards left to carry out his orders. "How dare you bring the Darkness into our sanctuary!"

Any sign that Corinthian had calmed down was gone. He grabbed Ed by his ponytail and dragged him away from the military officers and innocent cult members. Before Ed even had a chance to get to his feet, Corinthian struck him across the face.

"You've ruined the purity of our haven!" he roared as he delivered an onslaught of kicks to Ed's chest, stomach, and back. "You dare to accuse us of murder? You dare to bring your alchemy into the Sanct?"

"Stop!" Hawkeye pleaded as she railed against the arms that had her pinned to the wall.

She couldn't stand to see Corinthian hurt Ed like this, but her plea fell on deaf ears. Her struggles were no match for the strong guard that held her in place. The Colonel couldn't stand to see this either. He succeeded in getting away from the wall, but another guard latched on to him to keep him still.

Each kick sent Ed closer and closer to the wall just to Mustang's right. Roy mentally begged Ed to use alchemy or do something to protect himself, but the kid just couldn't. Corinthian didn't give him the chance to even try.

Even if he could, he knew Ed wouldn't endanger the others stuck in this madness with him.

"You are part of the Darkness! You will pay for your sins against the Moon!" Ed's attacker growled.

Glancing up at the lone window in the room, Corinthian picked Ed up by the front of his shirt and threw him into it. The sound of shattering glass and a sickening thud resounded throughout the room, followed by a grunt of pain.

Ed had fallen on his side on the broken glass. He tried to get up, but wound up collapsing before he could make it to his knees. The reason why was easily explained by the blood pooling around his head.

This was absolute torture for the Colonel. His young subordinate was just mere feet away, but he couldn't run to his aid. The room returned to the tense silence that filled it just minutes previously with the exception of Ed and Corinthian's ragged breathing.

Much to the horror of the three military officers, Corinthian moved back toward his previously discarded rifle. Each one of their struggles intensified.

"The Darkness has sent you to deceive us," he commented as he bent down to pick up the gun, "You have failed. It's up to us to make sure you pay for your sins against the Moon. It's up to us to make sure you don't lead anyone else astray."

Corinthian walked back into position. He raised his rifle at the beaten teen.

Ed tried to clear his head, but the room kept spinning. He barely made out a blurry figure standing several feet in front of him. Was that Corinthian? He couldn't tell.

"No!" he heard someone yell.

The young alchemist suddenly found someone shielding him from Corinthian and unintentionally pressing him into the wall. He let out a pained groan at the sudden impact.

The armed brother's eyebrows rose when his gun was no longer aimed at the kid, but now at Roy.

The Colonel risked a quick glance behind him, making sure not a glimpse of the kid was visible. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. By some miracle he was able to take out the guards restraining him…a miracle known as an adrenaline rush caused by the sight of someone about to shoot his youngest subordinate.

"How can you possibly justify this?" he demanded. "He's just a kid!"

He could have sworn he heard Ed weakly growl at being called a kid, but he didn't know for sure. His eyes never left Corinthian's. The man shook his head in disbelief.

"He has you completely fooled. He has deceived you to the point that you would be willing to risk your…Absalom!"

Corinthian was interrupted when his brother collapsed to the floor and burst into a fit of convulsions.

"Brother!" Jeremiah called as he skidded to his knees at his brother's side.

"Is it another vision?" Corinthian questioned without moving, keeping his aim on his targets.

Havoc and Hawkeye exchanged curious glances with each other before looking back to the Colonel. None of them had any idea of what was going on. Even the guards tensed, but their faces were full of awe and intrigue as opposed to confusion.

A minute had passed before Absalom stopped convulsing. His chest rose and fell rapidly. After it looked like he had recovered, Jeremiah helped him to his feet.

"Absalom?" Corinthian questioned, now unsure of what to do.

After a few more deep breaths, Absalom finally spoke.

"We can't kill the alchemist. Not yet." He looked around at his followers, both the armed guards and the newest members of the congregation. "Remember my brothers and sisters, everyone comes to the Sanct for a reason." He gestured to each military officer. "Our guests are no exception. They have been deceived by the Darkness until now. They may have lied to us, but their actions are not their fault. They didn't know they were victims of the evil deception from which we have separated ourselves. If they hadn't come here, they wouldn't have had the chance to learn and understand the truth! You must understand that this is a blessing!

"Even Edward, yes even the alchemist, is here for a reason. The Moon has revealed to me his wishes. He has revealed to me the purpose of the Darkness coming into our haven. Brothers and sisters, we should not be fearful! We will soon be one with the Moon!"

Audible gasps came from the members of the congregation.

"What the hell?" Roy muttered under his breath.

If Riza and Jean's facial expressions were anything to go by, they were thinking the exact same thing.

"Play along," a hoarse voice whispered behind him, going unheard by the others occupying the room.

"What?" the Colonel hissed as he looked behind him at his youngest subordinate.

He couldn't possibly have heard Ed correctly. His eyes met Ed's glassy and unfocused ones for a moment. How the kid was in any way coherent, Roy didn't have the slightest clue. Before Ed could say anything else, Roy found himself hauled up from the ground and dragged away from the teen.

"No! Let me go! Stay away from him!" the Colonel yelled as more guards moved in on Ed.

Two got ahold of the kid's arms and yanked him to his feet. Given the beating he suffered through moments before, he wasn't able to stand and wound up sagging in their hold. Absalom approached the beaten alchemist and yanked on his hair to force his head up.

"Your soul has been tainted by the Darkness, but it can be purified. Once you have atoned for your sins, the Moon will be appeased. The Moon will provide us with a way to finally reach it. You are the key to the heavenly afterlife the Moon promised us."

With that, he motioned for the guards holding Ed to follow him.

"Where are you taking him?" Havoc asked.

His question was left unanswered. Corinthian dropped his rifle and walked over to the man that had been shot. Each of the military officers felt a brief pang of guilt. They had completely forgotten about the injured civilian.

To be fair though, they did just have to witness their youngest comrade get beaten to a pulp and nearly killed.

Corinthian knelt down by the young man's side and stroked his face in a comforting manner.

"Brother, you have done us a great service."

"I h-have?" the young man stuttered.

"You helped us reveal the Darkness," Corinthian said while nodding, "The Moon will look upon you with favor."

Tears streamed down the man's face. He was clutching his shoulder and still obviously in pain, but a smile graced his face.

"T-thank you, B-Brother C-C-Corinthian!"

Corinthian and one of the guards helped the man to his feet. They slowly left the room.

The Colonel couldn't help but be disturbed. The man should have been angry and should leave the Sanct the first chance he got. The guards weren't even sure if he was guilty, but they shot him anyway. For reasons Roy would never understand, the young man thought that his injury was justified. He even seemed grateful.

"Let them go," Jeremiah ordered, interrupting the Colonel's thoughts.

Each military officer was released, much to their surprise.

"I'm sorry, but you all are going to have to follow me," Jeremiah continued. "I'm afraid my brothers and I are going to have some questions for you. Now that you are away from Edward's influence, you all will be able to answer honestly." He gave them a comforting smile. "Don't worry. None of you will be punished for disturbing the Sanct. You were being deceived by the Darkness. The Moon will have mercy on you."

With that, he motioned for the three to follow him. The First and Second Lieutenants looked to their commanding officer. Roy was hesitant, but Ed's last words to him echoed within his mind.

_"Play along."_

The Colonel nodded, and they all followed Jeremiah.

***break***

"I lost the Colonel!" Fuery said, panicked.

Breda assumed Hawkeye's microphone had been destroyed since silence now filled his headphones. Given Fuery's outburst, the same could be said about the Colonel's. The Second Lieutenant whipped around to face the rest of the military personnel hiding in the warehouse.

"Who the hell let it slip that the military was involved?" he roared in pure anger.

None of the other officers were willing to take responsibility. Breda bashed his fist against the table.

"Dammit!" he swore.

"Should we go in?" Falman asked.

While the Warrant Officer was as stoic as ever, concern could be seen in his eyes. He had been listening in with Breda since the second Corinthian was demanding to know who the state alchemist was. After a moment of hesitation, the Second Lieutenant shook his head.

"The Colonel ordered us to stay here unless he gave us the signal," he said grimly.

"What should we do?" Fuery asked. "From the sounds of it, the Disciples of the Moon have their own militia. Do we even have enough men to invade the Sanct if he gave the order?"

Breda sighed in frustration. His commanding officer and comrades shouldn't even be in this situation. The stupidity of another military officer nearly got them killed. The only thing he could find any sort of comfort in was the fact that the Jones brothers weren't going to kill them, at least for now.

Who knows what they were going to do with Ed.

That definitely worried him. The answer to Fuery's question also worried him because they apparently weren't prepared. All the reports said was that a few cult members guarded the gate. A small army wasn't exactly expected.

There was only one thing he could think of doing.

"We have to call General Grumman."


	4. Chapter 4

Roy had to fight the urge to fidget in his seat. Everything about this situation felt wrong. He shouldn't be here. Ed should be. Instead, he didn't know where the kid was or what was going to happen to him. Hell, he didn't even know what was going to happen to him or his other two subordinates.

None of them should even be in this position.

Jeremiah had led them back to the room he had been interviewing the children in. He didn't say a word on their trek through the Sanct. He didn't say a word when they entered the room. He sat across from them, his hands resting on the table.

"I'm sorry you all were being deceived for so long," he said, finally speaking up. "You three have been guided by the Darkness until now, but that's over. You are away from Edward's influence, so you may speak freely." He paused as his brothers entered the room. "Can you begin with telling us who you really are?"

After a moment of hesitation, Havoc answered.

"I'm Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, and these are Second Lieutenants Elizabeth Hawkins and Wren Elkin," he said as he gestured to his comrades.

Much to the relief of the three military officers, they seemed to buy Roy and Riza's fake names. The Flame Alchemist and Hawk's Eye were fairly well known after the war in Ishval. If Jean had said their real names, there was a good chance their situation could get much worse than it already was.

However, it seemed as long as they were away from Edward, the brothers seemed to believe them.

"Jean, were you aware that Edward ordered Wren and Elizabeth to come to the Sanct?" Absalom asked.

Havoc shook his head. Feigning ignorance was probably his best option.

"Did Edward explain why he wanted you two to come to the Sanct?" Absalom directed his next question to the two other military officers.

Just like the Second Lieutenant, Riza shook her head.

"He just told us to come with his gloves," Riza lied smoothly. "We don't know what he found to make him believe your congregation was behind the murders, but we weren't really in a position to question him."

"I see," Jeremiah commented. "Why did the guards find microphones on the two of you?"

Roy determined he should probably speak up.

"The military is genuinely concerned about the safety of the children due to the recent murders. Since we were ordered to come here, our superiors told us to interview the children. They wanted to listen in on the conversations Elizabeth and I had with them."

Corinthian shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Roy didn't even have to think about why. His subordinates back at the warehouse had overheard Corinthian's confrontation and "creative" methods he used to determine who the state alchemist was. The man was concerned about how the military was going to react to that.

The Colonel was quite curious about that as well.

It was obvious the other two brothers were thinking the same thing, but none of them were willing to talk about it. At least as long as the three military officers were present in the room with them.

"Anyways, we are delighted to have you three in our congregation!" Jeremiah continued, "I know that everything will seem a bit odd to you at first, but you must believe us when we say that this is a blessing! Elizabeth, I will introduce you to my wife. She'll show you to your bed and find a dress for you. Jean, you can find some proper clothes for Wren. He can have Edward's old bed after the barracks have been completely expected."

Jeremiah stood up, as did the three military officers. Corinthian and Absalom stayed behind as the others left the room. The First Lieutenant glanced at Roy when Jeremiah started leading her down a separate hallway and away from her comrades. The Colonel gave her a very slight, but encouraging nod. Within seconds, she was gone.

Roy had to stop himself as he unconsciously drifted off in the direction Jeremiah was leading Hawkeye. He followed Havoc as his subordinate briskly walked through the halls. The Second Lieutenant looked back and was relieved to see that the two weren't being followed.

"What did he say to you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "You wouldn't have let those guards just take you away from him unless you were distracted. I know he said something to you."

The Colonel flinched. He didn't like being reminded that he had gotten distracted and dragged away from Ed. He was supposed to protect his subordinates and he failed.

"He said to play along."

Initially, Roy was confused. He would be lying if he said he still wasn't. A grim smile formed on Havoc's face.

"That kid still never ceases to amaze me," he muttered.

Roy's eyes widened.

"He knew the Jones brothers would truly believe we were being deceived, didn't he?"

"He must have," Havoc said, nodding. "If he was coherent enough to understand what Absalom was saying, that's a reasonable conclusion for him to make. Considering none of the brothers are following us, I would say the kid was right. If we play along with their delusion, that buys us time to figure out what's going on with these murders."

"But we don't even know that these people are going to do to him," Roy countered. "We need to focus on getting him out of here. Hell, we all need to get out!"

A chuckle escaped the Second Lieutenant, but there was no humor in it. It sounded dark and bitter.

"I'm pretty sure him telling you to play along was an order, sir. That was his way of telling you not to worry about him."

Roy didn't know what to say, but a part of him knew his subordinate was right.

They walked in silence until they reached their destination. Havoc opened the door. Various fabrics and threads greeted them as they entered the room.

Havoc shut the door and walked over to a cabinet to retrieve a white shirt, black slacks, and black shoes. He practically threw them at the Colonel.

"You can leave your other clothes here. That's what Absalom told Ed and I to do."

Normally, the Colonel wouldn't tolerate such a sharp tone from a lower ranking officer, but he knew Havoc was just worried about Ed. He was probably wanting to hurry and find who was committing these murders so they could all leave the Sanct.

That's exactly what Roy was wanting. However, there was something he still didn't understand, and it was bothering him. He tried not to show it, but the Second Lieutenant obviously noticed.

"Something's eating at you, Boss," he said softly. "What is it?"

The Colonel sighed.

"Why would he give himself up?"

"He trusts you."

The Second Lieutenant nearly laughed at the look on Roy's face. Havoc might as well have told his commanding officer that he finally got a steady girlfriend. The Colonel's face would probably look the same.

"Ed trusting you isn't that far-fetched of an idea, sir," he continued. "Neither one of you should have been in the position to make that decision. He knows that. He probably figured we would have the best shot of solving the murders if you and Hawkeye could remain involved. Aside from that, he trusts you to get him out if things take a turn for the worse, and rightly so. You shielded him from Corinthian. He knows you won't let him get killed. I know he would probably rather die than say it out loud, but he has faith in you."

Roy could only blink in response. A part of him knew that his youngest subordinate trusted him, but hearing it sounded almost like a foreign language to him. The two military officers remained silent as he quickly changed into the black slacks and white shirt. He was putting on the shoes when there was a knock on the door.

Roy and Jean smiled at Jeremiah when he walked in.

"I know you two must be hungry by now," he said, looking at Roy's new clothes in approval, "If you two will follow me, we can get you both some food. Don't worry about taking extra clothes now. The barracks are about to be inspected. You can get more after the evening service."

The Colonel and Second Lieutenant nodded and followed Jeremiah.

Roy had to suppress a smirk. He couldn't believe he was actually following orders from a teenager.

***break***

A chilling drizzle from the quickly darkening sky showered the Disciples of the Moon as the members migrated from the courtyard into the sanctuary. The Colonel tried his best not to express his discontent. He already hated the rain, but he absolutely despised it today.

The dark, suffocating energy he had felt when he arrived at the Sanct seemed to amplify along with the storm. Could it have been his imagination? Possibly. Either way, it didn't stop the dread pooling in his stomach.

He and Jean caught a brief glimpse of Riza while they walked through the courtyard. She now wore a white dress and practically blended in with all the other women in the cult.

Neither Riza nor Roy knew what to expect as they were herded into the sanctuary with the rest of the congregation. Jeremiah had escorted the Colonel and Second Lieutenant inside, but he now joined his brothers on the stage as they waited for the entire congregation to enter and be seated.

Riza noticed her comrades sliding into a pew. Her first thought was to join them.

"Elizabeth, we would love for you to sit with us!"

She looked up to see Sharon and Miranda, Jeremiah and Absalom's wives respectively, waving at her. She gave them a friendly smile and moved toward them when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

Despite the sea of people flooding into the sanctuary, she would know that blonde hair anywhere.

Two guards roughly brought Ed in and kept him at the back of the large room. His hands were restrained behind him, and the guards kept a tight grip on his arms. Her eyes widened when she saw the dried blood staining the front of his shirt. More blood was caked on the side of his head. Without even realizing what she was doing, she moved closer to the beaten alchemist. The closer she got, the easier it was for her to see the bruises that already formed on Ed's face as well as a massive bruise peeking out from under the collar of his shirt.

"Oh, Ed," she mumbled under her breath.

Ed looked up and saw her approaching him. She noticed him shaking his head. He apparently didn't want her getting any closer to him.

That was too bad. He was hurt, and nothing was going to stop her from checking up on him. Once the First Lieutenant was close enough, the teen finally spoke up.

"I'm fine," he tried to assure her.

The guard to his left slapped him. Riza couldn't help but wince at the harsh sound.

"Quiet!" he ordered. "You've already done enough by deceiving her for so long. Sister, I'm sorry for what he's done to you and our two brothers. He won't be able to misguide you anymore. I promise you that."

Riza felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her to see Sharon, a sympathetic smile forming on her face.

"Let's go sit down," she said as she steered the First Lieutenant away from the young alchemist.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Ed slightly nodding at her, his silent way of telling her to go and he would be fine. She sat down in between Sharon and Miranda. Miranda rubbed her arm in an attempt to comfort her.

"I know that was difficult for you to see," she said, "You will soon understand that he deserved it."

The First Lieutenant couldn't get herself to make eye contact with either woman. She knew that they only knew what their husbands told them, but that didn't do anything to quell the anger bubbling within her.

Whether they truly believed that Ed brought the Darkness into the Sanct or not, Riza couldn't believe that they wouldn't even question the abuse of a teenager. She didn't have much time to dwell on that since Corinthian approached the front of the stage to start the service.

"Brothers and sisters!" The chattering throughout the sanctuary ceased instantly. "Tonight will not be like our usual evening services. I'm sure most of you are aware that the Darkness has tried to infiltrate the Sanct. I know that many of you are probably afraid. The Darkness is what we pride ourselves in evading. The Darkness wants to destroy everything the Moon has created and prevent us from reaching the heavenly afterlife the Moon has promised us. The Moon has spoken with Brother Absalom. He will now bless us with the divine message!"

Corinthian stepped to the side as Absalom came forward.

"I can assure you, my brothers and sisters, that this is not a time of fear. This is the time to be brave! The alchemist tricked us and tried to destroy us from within, but he failed. This was no mistake. The Moon has brought us two new brothers and a new sister, from the military no less! The military has been corrupted by the Darkness, but at least three of them will find eternal peace along with the rest of us!"

At this, nearly all eyes in the room turned to the three military officers. Mumbles of welcome echoed throughout the sanctuary. Roy did his best not to look uncomfortable. He stared at the stage, trying to seem intrigued by Absalom's message.

"Despite the Darkness he has inside him, the Moon brought the Fullmetal Alchemist to us," Absalom continued. "Brothers, would you please bring Edward before the congregation?"

Roy's breath hitched in his throat when he saw two of the guards dragging his struggling subordinate down the aisle dividing the sanctuary. He was relieved that Ed still had plenty of fight in him. After the beating Corinthian gave him, he wasn't sure if the kid would be in any physical condition to resist. He was glad to see he was wrong.

That relief soon diminished when he looked around and saw the looks the other people were giving Ed. A mixture of disdain, anger, and fear emitted from the congregation.

Whatever was happening, it wasn't going to be good for Ed.

The guards roughly pushed the kid up the steps to join the Jones brothers.

"I can still see fear among a few of you," Absalom said as Corinthian shoved Ed to the ground. "That is understandable, but I must say it again: this is not a time to be afraid! The Moon has sent him to us to make the perfect sacrifice! However, his blood is unclean. It's going to take the power of the entire congregation to fix that."

Corinthian stepped on Ed's flesh leg, right on his ankle. The young alchemist squirmed as the man applied more pressure on it, but Jeremiah kicked him in the side to put an end to his struggling.

The Colonel tensed. He didn't like what he was seeing in the slightest. What got on his nerves the most was that the entire congregation didn't seem the least bit disturbed by the brothers' actions. Before them was a beaten fifteen-year-old, and none of them even cared. They just listened intently to Absalom, as if they were starving for his words.

Ed's teeth dug into his lip as he tried to contain his pain. Corinthian must have been adding even more pressure on his ankle. The kid was trying his hardest not to show his discomfort, but he was miserably failing.

"Edward must pay for his sins against the Moon!" Jeremiah announced. "Pain and suffering is the only way he can atone for his sins and purify his soul. Once his soul has been purified and his blood is clean, his sacrifice will bring us to our destiny!"

Suddenly, a loud crack resounded through the sanctuary followed by a cry of agony.

Roy wanted to jump out of his seat and rush the stage, but was too shocked to even move. Jean winced beside him, his knuckles turning white as his hands unconsciously curled into fists. The Second Lieutenant took deep breaths, trying to control his anger. Looking across the aisle and a few pews in front of them, the Colonel saw Riza staring down at her lap, unable to even look up.

The bastard had broken Ed's ankle.

And applause and affirmations arose from congregation.

"As all of you are aware, tomorrow night is a full moon," Absalom shouted over the roar of the crowd, causing them to quiet down again. "Usually, two of you are called to go out into the world and spread the teachings of the Moon. When the Moon spoke to me, he revealed that he wants our sacrifice to be ready. One of you will help my brothers and I with the sacrifice tomorrow night. Zachary Hendrickson, someone we all know and love dearly, has demonstrated great faith. He has served to protect the Sanct very well. The Moon has noticed his faith and dedication. He will join my brothers in making the sacrifice.

"That is not to say the rest of you have been unfaithful. We need the prayers of everyone in the congregation as my brothers and I cleanse his blood and soul. Brothers and sisters, remember what we have taught you. We need everyone's help so we can finally reach the Moon. We all will be a part of the journey to reaching the afterlife the Moon will guide us to!"

Crazy. Absolutely crazy. That was the only way the three military officers could describe this entire congregation. Roy knew his subordinates back at the warehouse were thinking the same thing. Jean told him that he had hidden a few bugs throughout the massive room. His subordinate was confident that the guards wouldn't be able to find them if they searched the sanctuary.

That brought the Colonel a little relief. At least they would still have some way to contact their comrades in Freyvale.

Jeremiah gestured to the two guards that had brought Ed forward. Obediently, the dragged Ed off the stage. The young alchemist couldn't help but let out grunts of pain as his ankle hit each and every step on his way down. He was taken back down the aisle and out of the sanctuary with Jeremiah following right behind them.

Corinthian addressed the congregation yet again.

"Everyone is dismissed for the evening. I suggest you all get some rest. Tomorrow will be an exhausting day for all of us. The sanctuary will be open for the entire day for all those who feel the calling to pray here. May the Moon be with us all! May the Moon guide us all! May the Moon save us all!"

"May the Moon be with us all! May the Moon guide us all! May the Moon save us all!" the congregation echoed back.

Jean and Roy stood up along with the rest of the Disciples of the Moon. They made their way out of the pew. The Colonel glanced up to see his First Lieutenant being led away by the women she had been sitting with. She looked at him, making eye contact for the briefest second before following the women out the side door of the sanctuary.

He couldn't help but be grateful. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her since the Jones brothers questioned them, but she intuitively knew to play along until he ordered her otherwise.

"Zayne!" Jean said, snapping Roy out of his thoughts.

The Colonel turned to see a brown-haired boy standing just behind Havoc, the same one he had seen Ed with just a few hours earlier. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail, just like Ed's.

"Is your brother excited to take part in the sacrifice?" the Second Lieutenant asked.

He tried to seem as enthusiastic as the rest of the congregation, when in reality his blood was boiling.

Roy had to stop the surprised look that threatened to cross his face. He remembered Ed telling him that Zayne's father was one of the first victims. Now his brother was receiving a call from the Moon. The kid seemed slightly apprehensive, and Roy didn't blame him one bit.

He saw Jean's brow furrow.

"Is everything okay, Zayne?" Havoc asked.

From the past few days, he had only known Zayne to be a bubbly kid that was eager to learn about the Moon. He wasn't acting like himself at all.

"Jean, is Edward really the Fullmetal Alchemist?" the kid asked quietly, so quiet no one other than the three of them probably heard it over the low rumble of chatter from the rest of the congregation.

Havoc nodded.

"Are you two really from the military?" Zayne asked next.

Again, Havoc nodded. He gestured to the Colonel.

"We are. I'd like for you to meet my friend, Wren."

Roy mustered the warmest smile he could, trying not to make the teen any more nervous than he already seemed.

"It's nice to meet you, Zayne," he said as he stuck out his hand to the kid.

Almost cautiously, Zayne shook Roy's hand. Looking into the boy's eyes, he knew there was something he was wanting to tell the two military officers.

"Is everything okay?" Havoc asked again.

Zayne glanced around. No one else in the congregation was paying any attention to them, but the kid still seemed paranoid.

"I was wondering," he finally started. "I just…do you two know…never mind. I have to go."

He suddenly turned around and exited the sanctuary in a flash, not even glancing back at the two military officers as he weaved through the crowd. Jean stared in the direction the kid had gone, concerned.

"Maybe he'll talk to us later."

"Hopefully," Roy responded.

Havoc nodded in agreement. He led the Colonel toward the double oak doors at the back of the sanctuary. While they could reach the barracks without having to go out in the rain, walking this way was the best chance they would have to catch a glimpse of Ed or at least a sign of where he had been dragged off.

They were right, but neither of them were prepared for what they were seeing.

The drizzle had turned into a downpour, and a very cold one at that. Roy was nearly drenched the second they stepped outside, and his face stung as if it were being hit by an onslaught of needles. It was completely dark except for the light provided by the lamps spread throughout the courtyard.

Children were running around while their parents were sternly yelling at them, telling them to get back inside. However, the kids probably couldn't hear them over the sound of the rain. They were enjoying themselves, completely oblivious as to what was happening.

Roy clenched his jaw as he saw a few guards circled around one of the lamps. A guard was currently tying Ed to the lamppost, not missing the opportunity to kick at Ed's broken ankle when he was finished. He risked a quick glance at Havoc.

The man looked beyond furious.

The two jumped when a firm hand landed on their shoulders.

"This rain is a gift from the Moon," Absalom said with a tinge of excitement in his voice, "Keeping that abomination out in this rain will help purify his soul." He noticed that the two were remaining silent. "I'm sorry you were under his influence for so long. You can't even properly enjoy this moment and what it means for us as a congregation. Let me take you to the barracks. When you're away from his presence, he won't be able to influence you."

The Colonel wanted to strangle the man, but that desire faded the second Ed looked toward him. He barely got a chance to see those golden eyes before one of the guards struck him across the face, causing it to whip the other direction.

The kid had given himself up so they could solve these murders. Roy knew he couldn't do anything to ruin that.

He turned this back to Ed and faced Absalom.

"You're right, Brother Absalom. Thank you for demonstrating so much patience with us."

The words nearly made him vomit. That urge intensified when he felt two eyes staring at his back. He didn't need to turn around to know that Ed was watching them leave.

He had just turned his back on his youngest subordinate.

He knew he had to for the good of the mission, and the fact that Ed would probably kill him if he didn't do as the kid had asked.

However, the fact that he turned his back on Ed still remained.

Roy wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forgive himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Roy didn't know how long his eyes had been glued to the window. The window looked out to the courtyard, providing him with the view of the rain pouring down on his youngest subordinate. He knew the kid had to be freezing. A few of the cult's guards surrounded him. He and Havoc had been in the barracks for a few hours, and he noticed that the guards rotated every hour, probably due to the cold rain.

The Colonel glanced at the bed next to his. Havoc's eyes were closed. Roy ordered him to try and get some of sleep while they waited for the rest of the congregation to turn in for the night; however, he had a feeling the man wasn't sleeping at all. He had been hoping Jean would get at least a little rest because he spent most of his nights at the Sanct worrying about Ed, but their current situation was much worse. He wasn't sure why he even bothered trying to get the man to sleep.

"You're awake, aren't you?" he whispered.

The Second Lieutenant cracked open one of his eyes with a wry smirk.

"How'd you guess?"

He pulled himself into a sitting position at the edge of his bed, just like the Colonel. He stared out the window. The two military officers were silent, but the silence was incredibly tense. Neither one of them wanted to mention how injured Ed already was and how much more difficult it was going to be to get him out.

Roy figured that if the rest of his team back in the warehouse heard what the Jones brothers said during the evening service, they were going to call East City for reinforcements if they hadn't already. They would probably wait until he made contact with them before they made any decisions about coming to the Sanct.

The thought of ordering them to storm in and get Ed crossed his mind. With additional forces from East City, they could easily take out the cult's militia. Unfortunately, several casualties would probably result from that.

Ed wouldn't want that. He knew the young alchemist well enough to know that.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a kid approaching the two military officers. Even though the only light in the barracks was coming through the windows from the lamps in the courtyard, he recognized the long brown hair. Havoc noticed him as well.

Zayne stood before them, a lantern in hand. Before either military officer said a word, he put a finger to his lips, a silent warning to remain quiet. He motioned for them to follow him. Quickly and quietly, they followed the kid out of the barracks. They all made their way through the halls until they reached the sanctuary.

That was definitely convenient. The whole reason the Colonel and Second Lieutenant were just sitting in the barracks was to wait until they could get their best chance to get to the bugs in the sanctuary and contact their forces in Freyvale.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier," Zayne began, "I just wanted to be certain we wouldn't be overheard. The rest of the congregation should be asleep by now with the exception of the guards, but they can easily be avoided. I must also apologize for dragging you two all the way to the sanctuary. There's something I feel the need to show you."

Zayne opened the door and poked his head into the sanctuary. After determining no one was in there, the three entered. Jean glanced briefly at his commanding officer, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.

It would be so easy to retrieve the microphones Jean had hidden throughout the large room, but doing so would risk breaking any trust Zayne might have in them. Neither of them knew what the kid wanted to discuss with them. Their curiosity piqued when Zayne climbed up the steps of the stage and walked straight to the back wall.

The wall was made of stone, so it was safe to say both men were shocked when Zayne pressed against the stone to reveal a door hidden within the wall. He turned on the lantern and motioned for the two to follow him.

The thought of finding the bugs were out the window. The forces in Freyvale could wait a few more minutes. The Colonel and Second Lieutenant quietly bounded up the steps to join Zayne, but Roy staggered when he crossed the threshold of the hidden door.

"Are you all right?" Zayne asked.

Havoc looked at his superior, also concerned.

Roy desperately wished he could explain it to them, but he just couldn't. Neither one of them were alchemists. Neither one of them could feel the dark energy that was practically suffocating him.

"I'm fine," he managed to say.

He knew by the look Havoc was giving him that the man wasn't convinced, but they would discuss that later. He finally got a good look around. It was pretty dim since Zayne's lantern provided the only light. Before the three was a staircase that descended into blackness. Eerie shadows danced along the wall, not helping the foreboding aura that worsened by the second.

"I probably shouldn't have come here," Zayne started as he led them down the stairs, "I feel like the Jones brothers would be upset if they found out I was ever here, but I couldn't help myself. I know I wasn't supposed to, but I followed my dad after the service when he got his calling from the Moon. He and Natalia were supposed to come to the sanctuary at midnight for the Moon to speak with them. I saw the open door. I got about halfway down these stairs when I saw a flash. I thought I would get in trouble for being here, so I came back the following night. That's when I saw this."

Having made it all the way down the stairs, the three now found themselves in a small room. Zayne walked to the middle of the room and set his lantern down to illuminate the entire space.

Roy's heart stopped when he saw what was drawn on the floor.

"I've never seen this before in my life," Zayne continued. "I'm aware that I've never seen the Scriptures, but something just seems wrong down here. I didn't tell anyone else about this because I thought I would get in trouble, but our brothers and sisters kept getting callings from the Moon and coming down here. I got concerned."

"When did your dad get his calling from the Moon?" Havoc asked.

Of course he knew approximately when because he knew when the victims were found, but he was wondering if he could get any more information from the kid.

"About two months ago, on the one-year anniversary of Brother Absalom's return to the Sanct."

The Second Lieutenant's eyebrows rose.

"Brother Absalom hasn't always been at the Sanct?"

"I don't know the full story," Zayne said as he shook his head. "From what I understand, he led with Brother Jeremiah and Brother Corinthian for years, but he just disappeared one day. My family had been a part of the congregation for two years before Brother Absalom returned. Things around the Sanct were never the same after that. My dad didn't like it. I don't think he ever told my mom or my brother, but he was starting to lose faith and wanted to leave the Sanct, but then he got his calling. It was just too weird. I didn't think anyone else in the congregation would listen to me, but I thought you two might since you're from the military."

The Colonel barely registered what the kid and Havoc were discussing. He couldn't take his eyes off the ground.

He was staring at a human transmutation circle.

***break***

Lieutenant Breda desperately wished he would hear something, anything. A flutter of hope surged throughout the warehouse when they heard footsteps in the sanctuary, but it faded as time passed and they didn't hear from their comrades.

"Sir, what do you want us to do?" he asked.

General Grumman's face remained unreadable.

The Second Lieutenant remembered how shocked he was when the General himself came along with the extra reinforcements from East City. They had arrived just before the evening service started. The General was already furious when he found out that someone let it slip that the military was in the Sanct.

The only thing that could be more frightening than an angry General was how angry the Flame Alchemist was going to be when he found out about this. Whoever gave away that information remained anonymous, but Grumman seemed dead set on finding out who did it.

Well, he would have to do that later. Everyone in the warehouse listened in silence as the Jones brothers conducted their evening service. The only way to describe what they were hearing was absolutely insane.

Then there was the snap and Ed's scream.

Breda winced as he remembered it. He knew the kid got beat up pretty bad by one of the brothers, but he had been foolish enough to hope that would be the worst of it. Even normally stoic Falman paled a bit when he heard Ed scream. Fuery tried his hardest not to let it show, but he was incredibly worried and scared for their youngest comrade. The watery eyes he was trying to hide gave that away. General Grumman maintained his composure quite easily, but even he couldn't stop a flicker of concern from crossing his face.

After the evening service was over, the General thought it would be best to wait to see if the Colonel got a chance to make contact with them. Roy would have the best insight on the situation and could tell them what the best course of action would be.

But it had been a few hours, and they were met with nothing but silence. It had been long enough. They had to do something.

"We should—" Grumman started, but was interrupted by a familiar voice that brought relief to the tension in the warehouse.

"It's me," Roy said quietly. "Both Lieutenants and myself remain uninjured. Injuries for Major Elric include bruises and a broken ankle. Despite the injuries he obtained, do not invade the Sanct. The Jones brothers have a militia that will respond with violence should they feel the need. We can't unnecessarily risk the lives of the women and children in the congregation. I will contact you all again when I have an update on our situation or anything else on the murders."

The warehouse was met with silence yet again, but it wasn't as tense as the silence that previously filled it. Even though it was rushed, they had at least heard from the Colonel.

All eyes in the warehouse turned to the General. After a moment of contemplation, Grumman made his decision.

"We will follow Colonel Mustang's orders and not invade the Sanct," he announced as he moved toward the map Breda had pinned up when they first set up the base. "However, we will move our base here." He pointed to the tree line that began half a mile away from the Sanct. "Colonel Mustang may not need our help now, but I can guarantee he will soon. We need to make sure we're available the second he requires our assistance. We will move quickly and quietly. Do I make myself clear?"

The General's eyes narrowed at the end of his announcement. His anger at the fact someone nearly ruined this mission was quite obvious.

Instantly, every soldier in the warehouse saluted.

"Yes, sir!"

***break***

"I don't understand how that can be alchemy!" Zayne hissed as they walked through the Sanct. "Alchemy was created by the Darkness! It goes against the Moon's design!"

Roy fought the urge to roll his eyes. A part of him was frustrated that the kid couldn't see that he had been lied to, but he also had to remember that this was all the kid had known for the past three years of his life.

Well, he couldn't say for sure that the kid had been lied to. When he saw the human transmutation circle, his first thought was that the Jones brothers had drawn it. Unfortunately, there was a flaw in that logic.

According to Zayne, all three brothers were in the barracks when he returned. Apparently some of the kids were wanting to hear from Brother Absalom about his encounter with the Moon. He also said he and several others saw the brothers on the nights of the other callings. Roy supposed it wasn't impossible for them to be the ones behind it, but it didn't seem likely.

There was also the fact that none of the victims were alchemists, so none of them would even have the knowledge to perform human transmutation.

Just when he got a lead, he only got more questions.

"I don't know what else to tell you, Zayne," he solemnly replied.

He and Havoc needed to talk to Ed. He would be lying if he said he didn't know anything at all about human transmutation, but the kid probably had more insight on the subject.

The three had been on their way back to the barracks when they noticed they couldn't hear the rain anymore. Running to the nearest window they could find, they saw a couple of the guards dragging Ed back inside.

Much to the Colonel's surprise, Zayne didn't seem the slightest bit concerned when he said he and Havoc needed to find the young alchemist. The kid guided them through the seemingly unending maze of hallways. Neither military officer would have the slightest idea of where the guards would take their young comrade, so they had to rely on Zayne completely.

"Shouldn't we have told them about the transmutation circle?" Havoc whispered as they continued on.

Roy shook his head. He had intentionally left out that important detail when he spoke to those back in the warehouse. He didn't know who else General Grumman would send in given the situation. Actually, the Colonel wouldn't be surprised if Grumman himself decided to come.

Mentioning the human transmutation circle had crossed his mind, but he didn't feel the need to alarm those in Freyvale. The thought of forbidden alchemy being performed here might cause panic in another high-ranking officer which could cause their forces to invade the Sanct. While General Grumman probably wouldn't do something so rash, another officer might. The lives of the innocent civilians would be put at risk unnecessarily.

Although, given how everyone reacted when Ed had his ankle broken, he highly doubted anyone in the Disciples of the Moon could be considered completely innocent.

He would tell the others when he had more answers.

Colliding into Zayne snapped him out of his thoughts. He was about to demand why the kid stopped walking when he pressed a finger to his lips. Zayne peeked around the corner, noticing there was a room with one guard posted outside. His eyebrows rose as he recognized the guard.

He turned to face the two military officers.

"No one usually comes to this side of the Sanct, so I can almost guarantee they have Ed in that room. Considering my brother is currently guarding it, I'm pretty sure I can distract him long enough for you two to at least check that Ed's in there. I'm not sure how much time you'll have to talk to him, though."

Before either one of them could say another word, Zayne made his way around the corner and down the hallway. Jean watched as Zayne talked with his brother. He wasn't sure what the kid was saying to him, but soon the two brothers were walking and disappearing down another hallway.

Jean motioned for his commanding officer to follow him, and the two stealthily made it to the previously guarded door. They were completely shocked to find the room had been unlocked.

Of course, the guards didn't realize Ed had lied to them when he said the transmutation circles on the gloves were what allowed him to perform his alchemy. Although, given the beating, a broken ankle, and the fact he spent almost the entire night out in the freezing rain, Ed wasn't in any position at all to escape. Especially since the room was supposed to be guarded, there was really no purpose in locking the door.

Sneaking into the makeshift prison, the Colonel and Second Lieutenant found Ed against the back wall of the room. His clothes were drenched. The kid had to be soaked to the bone. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was shivering uncontrollably. He had curled in on himself the best he could with his wrists still restrained behind him and now his ankles were bound as well.

The young alchemist looked absolutely miserable.

He didn't even open his eyes when Roy and Jean came into the room. It took the Colonel a second to realize that the teen was probably trying to sleep. Given that he had barely slept the entire time he'd been at the Sanct and what he'd been through just mere hours ago, that was a reasonable conclusion.

The two approached the shivering alchemist in silence, both wanting to do something that would help him. The closer they got, the better they could hear Ed's teeth chattering. The kid could get really sick if he didn't get warm soon.

Without much thought, Roy joined Ed on the ground and peeled the kid away from the wall, pulling him against his chest. Unconsciously, Ed curled closer to the new source of warmth. Soon enough, the Colonel was leaning back against the wall with his subordinate in his lap. He wrapped his arms around the shivering teen to share as much of his body heat as he could.

His eyes widened when he felt how cold his young subordinate was. The urge to burn the brothers for subjecting Ed to this grew with each passing moment the kid was in his lap.

"What the hell?"

Roy perked his head up. Havoc was trying to get a look at Ed's broken ankle. It was swollen and Ed's foot was bent at an odd angle, which made them both cringe, but that wasn't what caught Havoc's attention.

Small rivulets of blood were flowing down his flesh foot and dripping onto the stone floor. Looking down at Ed's wrists, he noticed the white sleeve of his flesh arm stained in blood.

"Is that…barbed wire?" the Colonel hesitantly asked.

"Y-Yeah…."

Roy looked startled when the boy in his arms shifted slightly, as if to get more comfortable. Ed's eyes fluttered open.

"Are you with us, Chief?"

Ed blinked a few times. His eyes widened when he recognized Havoc. He curled in closer to Roy, his brow furrowing when he realized he was warmer than he should be. He looked up to see his commanding officer looking down on him, quite noticeably concerned. He then realized he was in Mustang's lap and leaning against his chest.

The older officers instantly noticed the blush that crept up Ed's neck and onto his face.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" he hissed.

The young alchemist squirmed a bit to try to get off of the Colonel's lap, but the strong arms around him kept him in place.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Fullmetal," the Colonel assured. "You were left out in the rain all night. You're cold. We need to get you warmed up." Ed still didn't look comfortable. "If you want, we won't ever speak of this again."

The teen took a deep breath as he finally started to relax in Roy's arms.

"You two really won't talk about this?"

Havoc grinned at his young comrade.

"Talk about what, Chief?"

Ed smiled at the Second Lieutenant as he let himself relax completely. He noticed Jean was now staring at the barbed wire that bound his ankles. He shook his head when the man reached for the wire.

"Don't," Ed ordered weakly. "I heard the guards say Corinthian was coming to see me soon. If you untie me, he'll know you were here. Besides, you two still didn't answer me. What the hell are you doing here?"

The kid was starting to get frustrated with the lack of an answer. Glancing up at the Colonel, he could see the concern still in his eyes. He knew his commanding officer was trying not to show it, but he was failing. The same could be said about Havoc.

"Please stop looking at me like that. There's nothing for you two to worry about. I'm fine."

"Like hell you're fine!" Roy quietly snapped. "Corinthian broke your ankle and the bastard is coming to visit you again. I'd say we have every right to be concerned."

Ed couldn't get himself to look either man in the eyes. He knew the Colonel wasn't mad at him. His superior was just frustrated at their situation. However, he didn't like the idea of the three military officers worrying about him. They still had the murders to solve.

"Anyway, Zayne showed us a hidden door in the back wall of the sanctuary," Havoc said.

This definitely got Ed's attention.

"There was a staircase that led down to some sort of basement," Roy continued. "There was a human transmutation circle drawn on the floor. That's the source of the dark energy we're feeling."

A shiver rushed down Ed's spine, and it wasn't because of his cold, wet clothes. Jean's eyebrows rose. Understanding gleamed in his eyes. At least he now had an answer as to what had been bothering the kid since the second they arrived.

"Do you think the Jones brothers are trying to perform human transmutation?" Ed ventured.

That didn't make any sense. None of the brothers were visibly missing anything. He knew exactly what happened when one attempted and failed human transmutation.

"It doesn't seem likely. The brothers seem to have alibis during the times the victims were receiving their callings."

Ed's lips quirked into a frown at Havoc's answer.

"Have you heard or read about any other rebounds that can occur after a failed transmutation?" the Colonel asked.

Ed shook his head. He remembered that the victims had nearly every bone crushed in their bodies. He'd never read about anything like that when he researched the taboo.

Roy sighed in frustration. He was really hoping his young subordinate might have known something that could give him and Havoc more to work with on the investigation. The sooner they found out exactly what was going on at the Sanct, the sooner they could get Ed to safety.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Ed mumbled. "And I'm sorry I blew my cover. I know I wasn't supposed to—"

Roy unconsciously tightened his arms around the kid.

"We'll talk about that later," he said sternly, interrupting the young alchemist. "But for now, don't do or say anything that will anger the brothers and cause them to hurt you even more. That's an order that you better follow, Fullmetal."

Ed smirked.

"No promises."

The Colonel huffed in annoyance, but tensed when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He looked down at the young alchemist in his lap. The kid gave him a reassuring nod. As gently as he could, he set Ed back down on the ground and against the wall.

Ed instantly missed the warmth the Colonel provided him. He tried to keep his shivering to a minimum when his superior and the Second Lieutenant glanced at him one last time before sneaking out of his prison. He didn't want to give them any more reasons to worry about him as they were leaving.

"We'll visit you again as soon as we can," Roy assured him.

The two slithered out of the room, reluctantly leaving Ed alone.


	6. Chapter 6

A million thoughts ran through Roy's mind as he and Jean navigated their way back to the barracks. He had really been hoping that he would have some sort of lead after talking to Ed, but he still didn't have the slightest idea of who drew that transmutation circle or who performed the forbidden alchemy.

Although, there wasn't any evidence of an attempted human transmutation. He remembered walking into Ed and Al's old house and finding the monstrosity they unintentionally created. If someone committed the taboo, it hadn't been for a while and they were doing a good job of disposing the evidence.

It was incredibly frustrating to have not made much progress. They were running out of time too fast for the Colonel's liking.

The clouds had disappeared, so the very faint rays of sunlight shone through the windows as the sun started to rise. According to Zayne, the victims received their callings at midnight on the night of a full moon and a new moon. If the Jones brothers kept to their pattern, the sacrifice would occur around the same time.

Roy knew he had less than twenty-four hours to solve these murders and get Ed out of the Sanct. Despite Ed's protests, he was getting the young alchemist out way before the brothers would sacrifice him. Once the sun sets, he's ordering his men to raid the Sanct, whether he had answers or not.

Even though he wouldn't allow his youngest subordinate to become the next victim, that didn't stop the fact that it was now the morning of the day the Disciples of the Moon planned to sacrifice the kid…and he was alone.

He was well aware that he and Jean had no other choice. Ed wanted answers and to prevent more murders just as much as they did, so they couldn't blow their new cover. However, that didn't make him feel any better.

"We're getting him out," Havoc whispered just as they reached the barracks.

There was no question about that, but the reassurance was much appreciated. He was glad his Second Lieutenant knew him well enough to realize that.

The two snuck back in. Tiptoeing their way back to their beds, they noticed Zayne had already returned to his bed. The kid's eyes were shut and his breathing was slow. He seemed to be asleep. Given the long night all three of them had, he couldn't blame the kid at all.

Roy changed out of his cold, wet clothes as quietly as he possibly could before sliding under the covers. According to Havoc, the members of the congregation would start to wake up soon. Roy briefly entertained the idea of sleep, but it quickly fled his mind. He could only stare daggers into the ceiling and he knew his subordinate was probably doing the same.

He didn't regret going to see Ed for a second. He needed to, and not just to ask him about the human transmutation rebound.

Unfortunately, Ed was all he could think about. He had seen exactly how impulsive and violent Corinthian could be and he didn't like it at all that the man would be anywhere near his youngest subordinate. He didn't like Jeremiah and Absalom either. While they weren't exactly as violent as their brother, they just stood by as their brother did as he pleased. In a way, that seemed more dangerous.

The patters of footsteps snapped him back to reality. The Disciples of the Moon were starting to awaken. He couldn't help but think that this was going to be a very long day.

***break***

"I can't believe the sanctuary will be open to all of us for the entire day!" Sharon said as she and Riza walked outside.

The Jones brothers had summoned everyone to the courtyard just after sunrise. As for why, the First Lieutenant was certain she probably didn't want to know. This entire cult was insane.

She had been hoping to talk to Roy and Jean the second everyone got up. Jeremiah and Absalom's wives were so keen on making her feel welcome and settled in that they didn't even leave her to sleep until after midnight.

Not that it would have mattered if they had left her alone earlier last night. She didn't sleep at all anyway. She spent the whole night worried about Edward and what their plan was. She instinctively knew to play along until ordered otherwise, but she still didn't like not having the slightest idea of their next move.

"I take it that it's usually not?" the First Lieutenant asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"No," the overly joyful woman responded. "The sanctuary is considered the holiest ground in the Sanct. It's the only place we can hear the Moon. The Moon can hear our prayers anywhere, but we can't hear the Moon. Since it's the most sacred ground, we usually only have our sermons and morning prayer in there. Brother Corinthian said that's how the Moon intended it to be. This must be important if they're leaving the sanctuary open to the congregation today."

"Have you ever heard from the Moon?"

Riza was genuinely curious. She wasn't sure what she witnessed when Absalom convulsed and claimed to have received a vision from the Moon. She was definitely grateful that happened. She was certain that Corinthian would have shot both the Colonel and Edward if that didn't happen, but it didn't make any sense. Did the same thing happen to the others in the congregation?

Sharon looked a little uncomfortable and sad for the briefest second.

"No, I haven't," she muttered gloomily, but she quickly changed back to her jovial demeanor. "But that's okay! I still have faith! Sometimes I just wish I could hear from the Moon like the brothers. Everyone in the congregation does, but the brothers have assured us that the Moon will speak to us when the time is right!"

Riza squinted as they walked outside. She had a sinking feeling she wouldn't like what the congregation had been summoned to witness.

Sometimes she wondered how the sun could still shine on the darkest of days like this.

People filtered out into the courtyard, migrating to the west side where she assumed the Jones brothers were already waiting for them.

"This must be another whipping," she heard someone walking just in front of them observe.

"I'm not surprised," someone else commented. "In my opinion, he deserves much worse than that, but I suppose Brother Absalom has to obey as the Moon commands. Maybe they have other ways for the alchemist to pay for his sins."

Riza couldn't believe what she was hearing and she didn't like any of it. Edward had already been through hell. She recalled the pain that slashed through her heart when she caught a glimpse of him left out in the freezing rain. She nearly flinched when she remembered the cracking sound that echoed in her ears long after he had his ankle broken.

How could these people think he deserved any of that? How could they think he deserved even worse?

"What's a whipping?" she hesitantly asked Sharon, secretly hoping it wouldn't be as bad as it sounded.

"It's a punishment for any disciple that has broken the Twenty-Five Laws of Righteousness. It's twenty-five lashes, one for each of the laws broken. Since joining the congregation, I've only seen it done three times. Twice for wayward members of our congregation that left and lived in darkness until they realized their mistake. The third was for Brother Absalom."

The First Lieutenant's eyebrows rose.

"He left the congregation and returned just over a year ago," she explained. "He returned when he started receiving visions from the Moon. The first couple of days after he came back, I didn't see my husband or Brother Corinthian for days aside from morning prayer and evening service. Brother Absalom was sharing what the Moon had revealed to him. My husband tried to convince him that the Moon had forgiven him and he had repented enough, but he still insisted on going through with the whipping. He was determined that if he was going to return to his position as a leader for our congregation, he needed to pay for his sins like everyone else."

The two woman joined the rest of the congregation as they circled around one of the lamp posts. She almost gasped out loud when she saw Ed on his knees with his wrists bound on either side of the post, keeping them apart. The young alchemist kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

Sharon grabbed her wrist and guided her toward the front to join Corinthian and Absalom's wives. The First Lieutenant scanned the sea of people, catching a glimpse of her two comrades just before Absalom started to speak.

"Brothers and sisters, thank you for being here so early this morning. Like all of us that have wandered in the Darkness, Edward must pay for breaking the Twenty-Five Rules of Righteousness. He has yet to confess his sins against the Moon, so we must take these steps to help him repent and purify his soul!"

Corinthian handed Absalom the whip while Jeremiah cut Ed's shirt off. Riza's eyes widened when she saw the glare of sunlight coming off several parts of the whip.

There were metal shards embedded in it.

She tried to quell the nausea that immediately followed that realization, but she was failing miserably.

Glancing across the crowd, Riza could see her commanding officer. His face maintained its usual calm demeanor, but his eyes held something else entirely. A fiery rage burned within them. His hands unconsciously coiled into fists. It looked like he was about to spring forward and strangle Absalom with his bare hands.

He was _pissed._

She looked back to Ed when she saw him raise his head slightly. He was staring directly ahead of him, straight at the Colonel. It was almost unnoticeable, but he barely shook his head.

Roy and Jean nodded back in understanding, but their faces darkened.

Ed didn't want them to interfere.

The First Lieutenant couldn't remember a time she had been so frustrated. She wanted to know what was going on. All she knew was that her youngest comrade was getting hurt, and for some reason unknown to her, he didn't want any of them putting a stop to it.

She couldn't stop herself from flinching when the whip cracked down on Ed's back. The young alchemist let out a grunt of pain in surprise. The blood that streamed down his back after only one lash just served to worsen her nausea.

There shouldn't be that much blood already.

Absalom flung the whip back, ready to strike again. The metal shards embedded in the leather tore through Ed's back. The kid was trying desperately to seem strong and not vocalize his pain, but even he couldn't help but scream in agony as the lashes continued.

Blood splattered on those who happened to be standing behind Absalom, unfortunately that included the First Lieutenant. Her eyes shifted down to her dress, noticing how the specks of blood got larger with each and every fling of the whip. Her brow furrowed when something that definitely wasn't just blood landed on her dress. Feeling along the cloth, she picked it off.

A small chunk of Ed's flesh.

Her hand flew to her mouth and she slowly backed away from the three wives and further into the crowd.

She had seen a lot of terrible things in her life. Hell, she had been in Ishval. Logically speaking, this shouldn't have been as unsettling to her as it was.

But this was Edward.

Edward was a part of their team, a part of their family. Seeing these monsters do these horrific things to him without any hesitation upset and angered her more than anyone could understand. Well, anyone aside from the Colonel and Second Lieutenant.

She couldn't stand to watch this anymore. She was at the back of the crowd and was about to leave when she bumped into a strong chest.

Roy grabbed her hand. He obviously noticed her trying to leave and was trying to comfort her.

The cracking of the whip and the agonizing screams stopped. Roy watched through the gaps in the crowd as Jeremiah untied Edward from the lamp post, sending the kid crashing to the ground. There didn't seem to be a single square inch of unmutilated skin left on Ed's back. His stomach flipped when he could see where Ed was missing chunks of flesh in his back.

Blood pooled around the young alchemist, staining the sidewalk in crimson.

It was no surprise he wasn't moving. He was probably unconscious. Roy couldn't help but be relieved by that thought.

"Wow!" one of the kids in the congregation yelled.

The young boy raced forward toward the fallen teen. His parents tried to stop him before he could touch the puddle of blood that was getting bigger by the second. The Colonel glanced around the crowd and noticed that all of the kids seemed to have a fascination with the blood flowing from Ed's wounds.

It was sickening. What the hell were the brothers teaching these kids?

Absalom chuckled as he saw the young boy running forward.

"No! It's okay! Let the children come! They need to see this and feel the spiritual power this purifying blood will provide them!"

Jeremiah and Corinthian dipped their fingers in Ed's blood, brushing them along the kids' foreheads as they crowded around the puddle. Absalom did the same, but beckoned his followers to him.

"Edward's purifying blood will give you spiritual strength as we prepare him for sacrifice! Come forward to receive this blessing!"

The Disciples of the Moon crowded in closer to the Jones brothers. Roy watched, disturbed as each and every member got Ed's blood wiped across their forehead as the brothers muttered something under their breath. He didn't want to participate in this. He wanted to set the brothers on fire for what they just did to his youngest subordinate along with everyone else for standing by and not even questioning them, but he couldn't.

He needed to respect Ed's wishes for now, even though he didn't want to.

Corinthian gave him and Riza a surprisingly warm smile as they stepped forward. He dipped his thumb in Ed's blood and stroked it across both of their foreheads.

"May the Moon be with you. May the Moon guide you. May the Moon save you."

As the congregation received their "blessing," they dispersed to prepare for breakfast and morning prayer.

Looking around for Havoc, Roy noticed Zayne walking back toward the archway of the Sanct with Havoc right on his heels. He didn't know where they were going, but he had a feeling to leave those two alone. The Second Lieutenant would update him on any useful information the second he got the chance.

He grabbed Riza's hand and led her inside. He took her down the halls Zayne took him through the previous evening. No one was around, like the kid had predicted. He couldn't help but wonder why no one came to this part of the Sanct, but he didn't dare question this opportunity. This was his best chance to talk to his First Lieutenant alone as well as check on Ed when the guards return him to his prison.

"With all due respect, sir, I know you must have your reasons, so you better explain to me why the hell we aren't calling our forces in and putting a stop to this right now!" she whispered threateningly.

He knew she was beyond worried about their youngest comrade. Having been kept in the dark since the previous afternoon, he completely understood why she was angry.

"Havoc and I found a human transmutation circle."

She stopped walking in shock, all signs of anger and frustration gone.

"Last night, Fullmetal's friend showed us a hidden door in the sanctuary," Roy continued. "He said that's where his dad disappeared to the night he received his calling from the Moon. He claims to have seen a flash of light before he left and returned to the barracks. He investigated the secret room again and saw the transmutation circle but didn't even know it was alchemy.

"None of the victims looked like the thing Fullmetal and his brother created when they performed human transmutation, so Havoc and I snuck into Ed's prison to see if he knew of any other rebounds that could occur. He was just as lost as we were. I initially thought the brothers were behind it, but they all have an alibi on the nights of the callings. Fullmetal wants us to play along. The brothers truly seem to think he was deceiving us, and he wants us to use this opportunity to figure out who's behind the transmutation and what's going on in the Sanct."

The First Lieutenant was stunned, both with the information her commanding officer just shared with her and how strong and selfless Ed was being. Even if it meant him being in pain, he was willing to buy them time to figure out the murders. She had always known that about the young alchemist, but it was something else entirely to see it.

"So unless we absolutely have to, we shouldn't call our forces in," she assumed.

The Colonel nodded.

"We risk the lives of everyone here if we call them in now. I know Fullmetal wouldn't be happy about that. Also, I'm certain that's not the only secret room in this building. The killer could potentially escape in the chaos, and Fullmetal would have gone through this for nothing."

Riza sighed and looked down at the ground. She didn't like this at all, but they really didn't have much of an option. Her main concern right now was Edward. She knew he wouldn't want them to worry about him, but she couldn't help it. The only way she could find any reassurance was knowing her Colonel had a plan to get the kid out no matter what.

As if he could read her mind, he placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look up at him.

"I promise, we're going to get him out and we're going to make those bastards pay for hurting our Fullmetal."


	7. Chapter 7

"You should eat," Roy commented as he looked at Riza's untouched plate of food.

He was such a hypocrite. He had hardly eaten himself, but he forced at least a few bites of the bread and fruit in front of him down his throat.

The First Lieutenant knew that she should eat. Every one of them had a very long day ahead of them and they needed the energy, but just the sight of the food in front of her made her want to vomit. Seeing the blood still splattered on her dress didn't do anything to quell the nausea.

She picked up the piece of bread and took a bite, at least trying to follow her superior's suggestion. She spat it out in her napkin instantly, but discretely as not to draw any unnecessary attention to her and her commanding officer.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

The Colonel frowned. It was already bad enough that he and Riza didn't get to see Edward. Before he was brought back to his prison, one of the guards found the two in the halls. He was grateful that the man was gullible enough to believe they were just lost since they were new to the Sanct. While he was relieved their cover remained intact for the time being, a chance to check on his subordinate was taken away from him.

At least he had the opportunity to speak to Ed a few hours ago. His First Lieutenant wasn't as fortunate in that respect. The only time she had seen the kid was when Corinthian broke his ankle and Absalom whipped him to a bloody pulp.

He wished he could do or say something that would ease her nerves, but he knew her well enough to know there was nothing he could do.

"Have you seen Jean?" Riza asked suddenly.

She scanned around the members of the congregation, all of which were chattering and causing her to cringe every time one of them mentioned the whipping. Havoc wasn't anywhere in sight.

The Colonel glanced around as well, his brow furrowing when there was no sign of his Second Lieutenant. He recalled seeing him follow Zayne after the whipping, but the young boy was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't see Zayne either," he muttered.

He could only hope that Havoc was getting more information out of the kid. All three of them needed it desperately if they were going to have any hope of getting Ed out of this madness soon.

***break***

"Zayne?" Jean quietly asked as they two wandered around the garden just beyond the archway.

The young boy didn't say a word. He hadn't since the whipping. Something was bothering the kid. That's the whole reason Jean followed him in the first place. He figured the boy would talk when he was ready.

He never had the chance to actually look around the garden that surrounded the Sanct. From what he understood, no one in the congregation usually ventured out into the bright, colorful oasis. He stared around at the vibrant flowers, fruits, and vegetables growing all around them. He remembered Zayne explaining that only the brothers could pick the fruits and vegetables since they were the only ones that could bless them before the congregation consumed them. No one was supposed to even touch anything growing in the garden, so he supposed it made sense why no one ever wanted to come here.

"Am I being unfaithful for not believing Edward is evil like the brothers are saying?" the previously silent kid asked, jarring the Second Lieutenant out of his thoughts.

"Not in the slightest," Jean responded automatically, unable to completely keep the bitterness out of his tone.

He had to force himself to remain patient. How anyone could see a fifteen-year-old as evil was beyond his imagination, especially Edward Elric. He grinned to himself as he remembered first meeting the young alchemist. Sure the kid could come across as a cocky, hot-headed brat if he really wanted to, but that didn't even scratch the surface of who he really was.

As he and the rest of the team got to know Edward and Alphonse Elric over the past few years, they learned quickly that those boys were some of the most selfless people they had ever met, never hesitating to look out for and defend those they cared about. Ed might try to deny it, but everyone knew that also meant the Colonel and the rest of his subordinates.

"Zachary took me to the sanctuary before I returned to the barracks," Zayne continued. "He thought Edward had tainted my soul since I had spent the last few days with him. He begged the Moon to cleanse my soul and my mind of the Darkness, but I honestly don't understand why. I can't tell anyone else what I think. They'll just tell me that I'm a terrible disciple and I should pray to the Moon for forgiveness."

"You aren't any less faithful," Havoc tried to assure the kid. "All you've done is prove you can think for yourself. There's nothing wrong with believing what you do, and there's nothing wrong with asking questions either. I've known Edward for years now and I can tell you he's not what the brothers are saying he is."

"I knew it was a lie. Sometimes, I wonder why my brothers and sisters take what the Jones brothers say as law. If we could read the Scriptures the brothers claim to have, it would make a bit more sense to believe what they say. We don't have any idea if what they're saying really comes from the Moon, but no one seems to care. It's absolutely mad! When you two first came to the Sanct, I finally felt like I met some people who were truly…sane…for a lack of a better word."

The Second Lieutenant nearly chuckled at that last statement, but refrained. Zayne was finally saying what was on his mind. He didn't want the boy to think he was dismissing the things that were bothering him. Quite the contrary. He was relieved to see that at least one person here somewhat had a good head on his shoulders, but he also couldn't help but feel sorry for Zayne. He didn't know how long these thoughts had been eating at the kid, and no one in the congregation would believe him if he tried to talk about it.

"Did you know Edward taught me how to tie my hair up?" Zayne asked.

Stunned, Jean shook his head.

"I haven't cut it since my family joined the congregation. I was too embarrassed to ask someone to show me how. Edward noticed my hair falling in my face and taught me how to tie it up like he does. I know it sounds silly, but I was really touched. I thought he might give me a hard time for it, but he never did. Ever since I started having doubts about what the brothers were telling us, it seemed hard for me to connect with the others kids my age in the congregation. I thought I would have a new friend here. I couldn't stand to see Brother Absalom…."

Zayne's voice trailed off and he stared at the variety of plants surrounding them. He quite obviously didn't want to talk about what just happened to the young alchemist he began to see as his friend. Havoc didn't know what to say, but he did know something else was still eating at the kid. Even after admitting all he had to the Second Lieutenant, Zayne still looked uneasy.

Jean was about to urge him to continue when something green caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. There were various green plants throughout the garden, but he could scarcely believe what he was seeing.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he stormed up to the innocent-looking leaves.

Zayne opened his mouth, as if to automatically tell him not to touch the plants, but stopped himself when he saw the look on Jean's face.

"Does anyone in the congregation eat these?" the Second Lieutenant asked.

"None of us do," Zayne responded, confused. "I think Zachary told me the brothers sometimes put those mint leaves in their tea. He said it's supposed to help them clear their minds to be open to hear from the Moon."

"This isn't mint."

Well, Havoc couldn't say that for certain just yet. He would have to ask the Colonel and First Lieutenant just to be safe. He grabbed a few of the leaves and stuffed them in his pocket. He headed back toward the archway with Zayne following just a step behind him. The two were silent until Zayne spoke up when they were almost back to the courtyard.

"Jean, if I ask you something, will you promise to answer me honestly?"

"Of course," the Second Lieutenant answered instantly.

"The military didn't order you all to come to the Sanct just because of those two murders, did they?"

Havoc froze in his tracks. He couldn't get himself to look at Zayne despite the question he knew was coming.

"Jean, do you know what happened to my dad?"

***break***

Roy and Riza trudged out of the dining hall. They had been hoping Havoc would join them, but they waited and waited for the Second Lieutenant and the man never showed up.

Well, until now.

Jean briskly approached the two, grabbing their arms and guiding them toward the sanctuary.

"Brother, sister, I think we need to pray."

Neither the Colonel nor the First Lieutenant questioned the man as he guided them to the wooden double doors. Despite the fact that the sanctuary was open to everyone for the entirety of the day, only a couple other members of the congregation occupied the giant room. Havoc glanced around, relieved when the third pew from the back remained empty.

Quietly sliding down to the far end of the pew, he reached underneath the seat and retrieved the microphone hidden there. The three instantly shut their eyes and bowed their heads as one of the two other occupants in the sanctuary stood up. Once the heavy wooden doors slammed shut, they opened their eyes again.

"I found this in the garden," Havoc whispered as he pulled the leaves out of his pocket. "Zayne thought this was mint."

Riza's eyes widened as she grabbed the green, mint-like leaves.

"This is salvia," she murmured, not wanting to believe it.

She recalled her time in the military academy, basic survival training. She remembered forcing herself to memorize what plants were safe to eat and which ones weren't. It was quite boring, but necessary to know. Salvia looked a lot like mint, only slight differences in the shape of their leaves being the only way to tell them apart.

While salvia wasn't exactly harmful, it did cause vivid hallucinations.

"Zayne said the Jones brothers put this in their tea," Havoc explained. "I'm not sure how long they've been doing that, but I would assume it's been happening a long time now. He said no one in the congregation has ever had them."

Roy groaned softly in frustration and buried his face in his hands. That made sense. He remembered looking at the map Breda put up in the warehouse in Freyvale. A forest began not even a mile from the Sanct. He was almost certain that salvia was growing there as well. It wasn't exactly uncommon in the Northeast.

Even before the Disciples of the Moon started growing their massive garden, the brothers could have been consuming the plant for a while.

"Are you telling me these 'visions' they claim to be having are just hallucinations?" he growled.

Riza's eyebrows rose.

_"Sometimes I just wish I could hear from the Moon like the brothers. Everyone in the congregation does, but the brothers have assured us that the Moon will speak to us when the time is right!"_

"That's why no one else has heard from the Moon," she realized.

Havoc perked up as the lone man in the very front pew got up and left the sanctuary, leaving the three military officers alone. He looked pointedly at the stage, then to the Colonel. His commanding officer immediately nodded in understanding. He grabbed the small bug out of Havoc's hand.

"It's me again," the Colonel said directly into the microphone. "Lieutenants Hawkeye, Havoc, and myself remain uninjured. Major Elric's injuries have unfortunately worsened. Lieutenant Havoc will place this microphone in his cell. If Major Elric gives the order to raid the Sanct, you follow it without any questions."

He handed the small device back to Jean. Without needing to be asked, the Second Lieutenant left the sanctuary.

The Colonel jumped up from his seat and motioned for Riza to follow him up to the stage and to the very back wall. This might be their only chance to investigate more into that accursed circle.

***break***

Jean whispered very detailed directions as he retraced the steps to Ed's makeshift cell. If their forces were going to invade, they needed to know how to get to Ed as fast as they could. He had to quickly take cover in when he heard guards coming his direction. Sneaking out from the room that had been his temporary hiding place, he glanced down the hallway where Ed's prison awaited.

There were no guards.

Initially, he was shocked, but he supposed it wasn't necessary.

Ed probably wasn't even conscious yet. Even if he was, he was in no position to resist at all. Then there was the fact that the brothers believed that he couldn't perform alchemy without those gloves. The brothers probably didn't see a reason to station one right outside of his prison.

Well, whatever the reason, he definitely wouldn't complain.

Hesitantly, the Second Lieutenant entered his young comrade's cell.

He thought he was mentally prepared because of what he saw in the courtyard, but he was very wrong.

Ed was curled up on his side, unmoving. As Jean moved closer, he noticed someone had done a poor job of bandaging the kid's back. Dark red seeped through the thin strips of white cloth. It looked as if someone was just trying to prevent him from losing too much blood, nothing more. The more he thought about it, it made sense.

Ed was supposed to be sacrificed this evening. The Jones brothers didn't care about properly bandaging him or preventing his wounds from getting infected since they were going to kill him anyway.

The kid's wrists were once again restrained behind his back with that damned barbed wire. A twinge of annoyance surged through the Second Lieutenant. Those brothers couldn't give the kid a break. Despite having broken his ankle and rendered his back to a mess of mutilated flesh, they still wanted to cause him pain.

Unconsciously, Jean moved closer to the young alchemist and kneeled beside the still form. The agony etched on Ed's face increased the already present concern he was feeling for the kid. He reached out to move the sweat-soaked hair that had fallen in front of the kid's face. He was met with a pained groan at the contact.

It took Ed a few tries to open his eyes. Guilt washed over the Second Lieutenant. He didn't mean to wake the kid.

"H-Havoc?" Ed's scratchy voice croaked through the previously quiet cell.

The boy moved slightly before letting out another pained groan. It seemed that he was trying to sit up.

"Don't move," Jean ordered as he placed a firm, yet gentle hand on Ed's shoulder. "You'll irritate your injuries."

Surprisingly, Ed obeyed. The kid was stubborn and notorious for not following orders, but even he must have realized he shouldn't be moving in his condition. He didn't even have the energy to come up with a sarcastic retort for the Second Lieutenant.

This only furthered his concern.

"Did you find out who…." Ed began to ask, but trailed off.

He barely had the strength to talk.

Havoc blinked, momentarily forgetting that the human transmutation circle even existed. Ed's physical state was so appalling that it was difficult for him to remember what he was supposed to be doing.

He shook his head.

"Not yet."

Anger briefly flashed in Ed's eyes before they were glazed over in pain again.

"Then why the hell are you here? I told you not to worry about me!"

The kid was trying his best to sound angry, but he was just too weak and suffering through too much pain to pull it off. His back felt as if it were on fire. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to mentally block out the pure agony.

He failed miserably.

"Too bad, Chief," Havoc said. "The Colonel told me to give you this."

Ed opened his eyes again and saw the small microphone the Second Lieutenant held in his hand. Glancing around the room, he tried to determine the best place to hide it. The cell was bare, so he settled for hiding the bug in Ed's pocket. At least it wouldn't be seen.

"If you feel that your life is in danger, just say the word and our forces from Freyvale will come in and get you out." He held up a hand when Ed was obviously about to protest. "Don't fight us on this. Zayne said the sacrifice probably wouldn't happen until midnight, just like the callings. However, the brothers are unpredictable. In case they decide they want to do the sacrifice sooner, you have to have a way to pull the plug on this mission."

That seemed to catch Ed's attention. He nodded in understanding. If the three military officers had anything to do about it, it wouldn't come to that.

Although, none of them would have thought Ed would be in the condition he's in now. When Jeremiah said that pain and suffering were the only ways to purify his soul, this was not what they had imagined. They couldn't believe the Jones brothers would justify torturing a fifteen-year-old to this extent. There was one thought that nearly made the Second Lieutenant shudder.

The brothers could do worse.

He put a hand on Ed's face, making sure the teen was looking him in the eyes.

"Ed, you know you can also call them in if you can't take the pain anymore. You're so brave. You didn't hesitate to give yourself up so we could still try to figure out the murders, but you've suffered through so much already. If you just can't take it anymore, no one will think any less of you."

Ed might see himself as weak for doing so, but no one else would. Havoc had to let the kid know that. He knew several soldiers that would have cracked before this point, so he was beyond proud of Ed for his willingness to help the brainwashed people of this congregation.

Unfortunately, even the strongest people had their breaking point. When Ed reached his, he had to know that it wasn't a sign of weakness.

After a moment of hesitation, Ed nodded.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. The Second Lieutenant took that as his cue to sneak out.

Ed would never admit it, but he missed Havoc already. The Jones brothers and their congregation couldn't be described as anything less than insane. Just the presence of any of the three military officers brought him more comfort than he would ever willingly say.

Actually, he just wished they could all leave.

But they couldn't. If they did, the murders would just continue. He would never forgive himself if another person fell victim to this strange cult.

He shut his eyes as the door to his cell opened. He heard footsteps getting closer and closer to him. They stopped near his head. Keeping his breathing slow and steady, he feigned sleep.

If he was unconscious, they couldn't hurt him.

Well, that's what he thought.

He was doused in cold water and an agonizing scream tore its way out of his throat. The wounds on his back erupted in new flames of fiery pain.

"I figured salt water would be my best bet of making sure you were awake."

After several torturous moments, he opened his eyes and was met with the blurry form of Absalom towering over him. He grabbed the young alchemist by his hair and dragged him over to the wall. Setting him against the stone, he then sat down in front of the kid.

"W-what do you…."

Ed couldn't even finish the question as searing pain shot through every inch of his back.

"I see you have two metal limbs, Edward," he began. "You tried to hide your automail leg from us. You and Jean said you lost your arm in the car accident that claimed the lives of your parents. That was obviously a lie, so you could say I'm definitely curious as to how you lost your arm and leg."

Ed tried to focus on the man before him. Of all things, he wanted to know why he had automail? It didn't make sense.

"You see, there are a number of ways someone can lose a limb. Of course, accidents can happen. However, the more and more I thought about you and your knowledge of alchemy at your age, I began to wonder if it was just an accident…or perhaps a rebound?" He chuckled when Ed's eyes widened. "Just as I thought. Tell me, Edward, what do you know about human transmutation?"

The young alchemist was too stunned to say a word. Even if he could, he wouldn't.

Suddenly, Absalom was on his feet. Ed felt pressure on his right knee as the man stomped on it and began adding more of his weight.

"Why?" Ed choked out despite the pain.

"You have less than a day before you're sacrificed, Edward Elric. It's up to you how you spend the rest of it. I want to know how you did it. Obviously, your theory didn't work. I'm not too surprised. An alchemist like you couldn't even come close to the correct theory for human transmutation, but you could say I'm trying to keep an open mind. If you answer my questions, I'll leave you alone and can get my brothers to do the same. I'll ask again: what do you know about human transmutation?"

Ed still refused to answer. He clenched his eyes shut as the pressure on his knee intensified and showed no sign of relenting.

"I would like to think you'll come to your senses soon enough."

_Crack._


	8. Chapter 8

"Why don't you get Falman to cover for you for a little bit?" Breda suggested. "You could really use some rest. I'm sure he won't mind."

Fuery rubbed his eyes before giving him a grateful look and leaving to find the Warrant Officer. Breda couldn't help but feel for his comrade. It pained them all to hear Ed scream like that. He wanted nothing more than to hear the order to invade the Sanct, even General Grumman had looked hopeful.

Unfortunately, after that scream, the order never came.

It would be so easy to invade the Sanct anyway, but it wasn't logical. Despite knowing that, it didn't make staying at their new base any easier.

Then there was the fact that they heard Absalom asking Ed about what he knew about human transmutation. That did nothing to ease the tension within their team, especially with the General there to listen in with them. Even though he was more concerned about the man's intentions, the Colonel's men couldn't help but worry that the higher ups would have some questions about the young alchemist and how he really lost his limbs.

Colonel Mustang trusted General Grumman, so they should too; however, the paranoia was still there. The incident where one of the soldiers let it slip about the military being involved didn't help matters in the slightest.

Speaking of the General, he was coming toward him and the Warrant Officer now.

"Lieutenant Breda, join me for a minute."

Surprised at the order, he instantly got up and followed the man to the front of their base. Several soldiers were already there waiting. A car was approaching. Once the vehicle stopped, a lone man got out.

"I'm surprised to see the military out here," the man commented as he walked toward the base.

The corners of Grumman's mouth turned up into a seemingly friendly smile. He opened his mouth to greet the man, but was interrupted before he even had the chance to speak.

"I can assure you all that there's no reason to even be here. I know you sent in those two from child protective services to interview the children, so you should know that the Jones brothers and their followers wouldn't hurt a fly."

The General stepped forward, extending his hand.

"I'm Lieutenant General Grumman," he said, completely ignoring everything the man said. "I wish we had the pleasure of meeting under better circumstances."

The man was obviously annoyed, but shook his hand anyway. Even he knew it was rude to dismiss such a high-ranking officer of the military.

"I'm Jonathan Sutton, mayor of Freyvale."

"Even though you may think otherwise, I'm afraid our presence out here is necessary."

"I've known the Jones brothers since they were kids. They've done absolutely nothing wrong. Anything you might have against them is just a misunderstanding."

Grumman's eyebrows rose at the mayor's protests. He motioned to the Second Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Breda and his team have evidence that implies otherwise. It seems that there was a violent altercation between the brothers and a few of the members of their congregation and our representatives from child protective services. I'm sure the Lieutenant would be willing to show you our evidence if you want to see it. Of course, if we deem it to be a misunderstanding as you so claim, our presence out here shouldn't cause any problems then. We'll just return to East City after a few more days of investigation."

The mayor's hands curled into fists and he stormed back to his car.

"I hope you understand that this is just a waste of your time!" he yelled as he climbed back in the vehicle.

The soldiers watched as the car left their base. The General turned to the few men standing to his right.

"Follow him," he ordered.

Not needing to be told twice, they sprang into action. He motioned for Breda to walk with him back to his station.

"Why—"

The Second Lieutenant didn't need to finish his question.

"No one knows we're here," Grumman explained. "I made certain of that. No one was out in the streets of Freyvale when we moved out last night. He had to have a reason for coming out here."

Breda's eyes widened at the realization. He was even more shocked when the General continued.

"When I said we had evidence that the brothers might be getting violent with their followers, he didn't even demand to see it. If he truly believed what he was saying about the Jones brothers, he would have wanted to hear the recording of the altercation. His only goal in speaking to us was to get us to leave. I'm almost certain he knows something about those brothers."

The Second Lieutenant grinned. Finally, they didn't have to wait on an order to help their comrades in this mission.

***break***

Jean flinched as Ed's tortured scream echoed through the empty hallways. He was pretty sure everyone in the Sanct had probably heard that. Their forces in Freyvale certainly did. He wondered if they would soon raid the Sanct. As much as he knew they needed to figure out who drew the transmutation circle, he couldn't help but hope their forces would come.

Ed had been through enough.

However, there was a part of him that knew his young comrade wouldn't allow that. He wanted to stop these murders probably more than any of them, especially after befriending Zayne and seeing how the members of the congregation were being deceived concerning the true fate of their loved ones. Unless his life was in danger, he wouldn't order their forces to raid. Even then, the kid would hesitate.

The Second Lieutenant shook his head, as if that would get rid of the thoughts buzzing around in his mind. He had to focus. The sooner they had answers, the sooner they could get Ed out of this insanity and to safety.

He navigated his way back to the sanctuary. It was empty. For the first time since this mission began, luck was on his side. He strode up to the back wall of the massive room. Feeling around the wall, it finally gave when he accessed the hidden door.

He shut the door behind him immediately, lest anyone decide now would be a good time to go to the sanctuary to pray. A dim, orange glow illuminated the bottom of the staircase. With a hand on the wall, he carefully guided himself down the stone steps.

Upon descending the stairs, he was stunned to not see the Colonel or First Lieutenant. A lone lantern sat in the middle of the circle.

"Havoc!" Riza hissed.

He spun around. There was another hidden door within the far wall. He would have missed it if it wasn't for the First Lieutenant poking her head into the small room. She motioned for him to join her. His eyes widened as he took in the unexpected sight.

It was much bigger than the previous room with several lanterns providing slightly better lighting. Shelves of books lined the walls. Two desks sat on opposite sides of the room, one had a variety of powders and chemicals stored in beakers and test tubes. The other had books, notebooks, and papers strewn across it, which was what the Colonel was currently looking through.

"How did you two find this?" he asked.

"We wouldn't have if the door hadn't already been opened," Riza explained. "Someone's been down here. Recently if I had to guess. These lanterns were already lit when we got here."

The Second Lieutenant mentally kicked himself. If he and Roy had thought to search for another door last night, they could have found more answers. Ed could have avoided getting whipped.

Ed could be safe right now.

Although, the more he thought about it, he and the Colonel had to make contact with the forces in Freyvale. Recalling how pale his commanding officer had turned when he saw the transmutation circle, it was also fair to say that they both had other things on their mind. At least they would have more to tell Ed the next time they checked on him.

"This doesn't make any sense," Roy muttered.

Both Lieutenants snapped their heads in his direction. Their commanding officer walked over to them with one of the books.

"Have either of you seen this before?" he asked.

Riza's eyes widened as when she took the book and started to flip through it. Various arrays were scattered through the worn pages accompanied by words she couldn't even begin to understand.

"What language is that?" Havoc wondered as he looked over Riza's shoulder at the book.

Roy shrugged.

"Hell if I know. I was hoping one of you could tell me."

"It looks so old," the Second Lieutenant commented.

That was an understatement. The only thing it lacked was dust, but someone had obviously been taking good care of these books.

"That's what I thought," Roy continued. "I was wondering if these were the 'Scriptures' the brothers found when they first came to the Sanct."

Riza continued flipping through the pages of unfamiliar arrays.

"Have you checked what's in the notebooks?" she asked her superior.

He shook his head. The two went over to the desk and began sifting through the papers and notebooks. Jean walked over to the other desk. He stared at the perfectly organized chemicals and powders. There were a couple papers on the desk full of equations he didn't even want to try to understand.

"Looks like someone's constructing a bomb down here," he muttered to himself.

It would have been funny if it hadn't been very well possible. He moved to the shelves of books that lined the walls. Some looked ancient. He took a few off of the shelf to look through.

"I think these notebooks are a translation of what's in these books," Roy said, breaking the silence between him and his First Lieutenant.

When he compared the notebooks and the books, he noticed the same arrays appearing in both. The notebooks seemed to be filled with the arrays and detailed explanations of how to draw them properly. It wasn't until he reached the end that the blood drained from his face and he nearly dropped the notebook.

"Colonel?" Riza asked when she noticed the tension in her superior. Her concern grew when he didn't respond to her. "Sir, what is it?"

Roy swallowed thickly before trying to find his voice. He didn't want to believe what he was reading.

"It seems to be a theory for human transmutation."

Riza's brow furrowed. Something like that wouldn't shake up the Colonel. It wasn't until he continued that she understood.

"It calls for sacrificing another human to bring back the dead. It says only a living soul can be considered full payment for another."

Her eyes widened and her blood ran cold. She didn't know a lot about the taboo. All she knew was what the Colonel had told her about Ed and Al's transmutation, how they had gathered all the chemicals and elements that made up a human. She couldn't imagine anyone that could come up with such a twisted theory.

Suddenly, the notebook she was holding was yanked out of her grasp and Roy was frantically flipping through the pages. When he didn't find anything in that notebook, he reached for another. The First Lieutenant thought it best to let him be. He was obviously on to something.

He scoured through the papers and books, trying not to make a mess but desperately searching. Even in the dim light of the lanterns, she saw his eyes light up as he seemed to find what he needed. She saw him compare the notes to the translations.

"The clipeum array," Roy whispered as he scanned through the pages.

One of the first arrays in the translations was a diamond with multiple zig-zagged lines surrounding it in the middle of a human transmutation circle. Dread pooled in his stomach as he searched through the notebooks. He was really hoping he was wrong.

Unfortunately, he wasn't.

Whoever drew that transmutation circle, he was certain he found their research notes. Two arrays were drawn on the first page. Only a few notes accompanied the drawings.

_First transmutation: unsuccessful._

_Rebound broke every bone in both the deceased and the sacrifice._

_I remain unscathed. Clipeum array works as intended._

He turned the page. The clipeum array was the same on every single page, but the second array was different. Similar notes were made on each page. After the fourth page, the notebook was blank.

"They're experimenting…."

The thought of that absolutely sickened the Colonel.

"Boss, you might want to see this."

The Colonel turned toward Havoc. While he was looking through the notes, his two subordinates had moved one of the bookshelves, revealing yet another door. However, this one was pushed back and to the left behind the rest of the wall, revealing darkness beyond it. How many secrets did this place have?

"I was looking through the books when I saw it," Jean explained. "The door was partially open. This looks like a tunnel."

All three of their heads whipped toward the other small room when they heard footsteps echoing down the stairwell. Instantly, Roy arranged the books on the desk as he had originally found it before grabbing two of the lanterns and joining the two in the tunnel. As quickly and as quietly as they possibly could, he and Jean pulled the bookshelf back to its original place against the wall before closing the door, but not completely.

Within the shelter of the tunnel, Roy kept the door cracked open. He handed the lanterns to Jean and Riza. He didn't want to risk the light peeking out from behind the bookshelf. He stood on his tip-toes to see through the space over the top of some of the books and the next shelf.

He had to catch at least a glimpse of who was behind this. His eyebrows rose when Absalom entered the room. He walked straight to the desk with the notebooks and picked one up. The man didn't seem to notice anything out of order or the absence of two of the lanterns. He left as quickly as he had entered.

He turned around to his subordinates.

"It was Absalom."

Neither military officer was too shocked at the news, but both were quite obviously confused.

"That doesn't make sense," Havoc whispered. "He and his brothers have alibis each night of the callings."

Roy had a hunch the second he saw the transmutation circle. There was no way these experiments could have been conducted by just one person.

"Someone else is helping the brothers."

***break***

Ed's agony-glazed eyes darkened when the door to his makeshift prison opened again.

"Leave me alone," he painfully growled when Absalom entered his cell.

His knee was still throbbing, causing pain to shoot through his flesh leg every moment he remained conscious. Unlike the whipping, he wasn't fortunate enough to pass out from the excruciating torment. The man carried a bag into the prison and set it down in front of the young alchemist.

"If you tell me what you know about human transmutation, that can be arranged," he said as he rummaged through the bag. He pulled out a notebook and pen. "You can feel free to start anywhere you like. I just want to know how you did it and what rebound occurred."

Ed glared at the cult leader before him. Like hell he was going to tell him anything, especially with that microphone in his pocket. It was already bad enough their forces overheard Absalom trying to interrogate him the first time.

A long, tense silence passed between the two.

Absalom was running out of patience.

He suddenly gripped Ed by his arms and lifted him off the ground. Ed had to stifle a cry of pain as his beaten body protested the movement.

"Come on, you little freak! Tell me what you know, and we'll both be better off!"

Ed still remained silent. Absalom dropped him, and this time he wasn't able to prevent the pained cry as he roughly hit the ground. The man looked through the bag until he pulled out a thick leather belt and several nails. He turned the beaten alchemist on his stomach and ripped off one of the bandages on his upper back, causing streams of blood to flow from the wound.

Absalom dug his fingers into the newly exposed, mangled flesh. The kid writhed at the contact. With the blood covering his fingers, he began drawing on the stone floor.

Ed couldn't do anything but watch as the deranged man made what looked like a transmutation circle in his blood. He couldn't be certain of what it was. His vision was blurring too much. Despite this, he didn't miss the familiar flash of alchemy.

Absalom smirked at his latest creation. The nails were now alchemically embedded in the belt. He sat Ed up against the wall yet again. The kid couldn't struggle as he fastened the belt around him.

Ed's eyes widened and he let out a choked scream as the nails pierced his flesh. He kept expecting the torment to eventually end, but it didn't. Absalom's smirk turned into a full-fledged grin as he saw the pained resignation on the teen's face. The nails were short, so he knew they wouldn't puncture anything vital.

But it still _hurt._

"Once you tell me what I want to know, I'll take the belt off." He chuckled when Ed still said nothing. "Be smart about this, kid. I am in complete control of how you spend your last few hours alive. All you have to do is speak up. I can even make your death quick and painless, just a simple snap of your tiny neck. If you continue to be so stubborn with me, I can make it excruciatingly slow. It's up to you."

Ed clenched his eyes shut, trying to bear his newfound torture. He didn't notice the man smearing the blood on the floor, destroying the evidence of the transmutation circle. He barely heard the sound of the door opening and someone else joining them.

"Brother," Jeremiah greeted. "Do you need Corinthian or myself to assist you?"

Absalom shook his head.

"There is still Darkness inside of him," he explained. "His soul is almost completely purified, but I still have some work to do. He tried to speak deceitful words to me, so I'm making sure he's paying for his sins. Don't listen to a word he says. The Darkness within him is trying to save itself. We have to be strong. We have to be faithful, Jeremiah. Soon enough, the Moon will save us all!"

Jeremiah nodded and extended his hand out to his brother, who gratefully took it. Once he was off the ground, the two left the cell.

***break***

"I saw the clipeum array in all of Absalom's notes," the Colonel explained as he and the two Lieutenants walked through the tunnel. "According to those books, it can prevent a rebound from affecting the alchemist that performed the transmutation. My guess is the rebound hit both victims since it didn't have anywhere else to go. It was powerful enough to break every bone in their body. I can't believe they had enough nerve to try that. If anything went wrong, that would have been an excruciating death for whoever actually activated the circle."

"What about the other arrays in the books?" Riza asked.

Roy shrugged.

"I've never seen any of those arrays before. The translations didn't have much information about any of them except for the clipeum array. I think the brothers are experimenting with them until they find one that will help them perform a successful human transmutation."

"That's sick," Jean muttered.

The Second Lieutenant couldn't imagine people caring so little about human life that they felt justified in using it for their personal experiments. Although, he shouldn't be too surprised.

Humans could be cruel, more so than he ever wanted to think about.

The trio stopped when the tunnel diverged.

"We need to split up."

Neither Riza nor Jean protested their superior's suggestion. While they didn't want to, they knew they had to.

They had to figure out where these tunnels led, hopefully to more answers.


	9. Chapter 9

Roy continued down the seemingly endless tunnel. It was completely silent except for the sound of his footsteps. He tried his best to keep track of the time as he and his subordinates agreed to meet back at the hidden door to the library in an hour.

He tried to gauge where he could be. He felt as if he should have walked beyond the borders of the Sanct by this point, but there were so many twists and turns to this tunnel that he didn't know for sure.

The dim glow of the lantern guided him on. Even with the light, he could barely see what was directly in front of him.

It certainly explained why he nearly tripped when he finally came to another staircase. Apparently he was still under the Sanct.

He took a step forward, but froze when he heard voices. Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly ascended the steps and pressed his ear to the door. The voices were muffled. It might be a risk, but he needed to hear what was going on.

Cautiously, he cracked open the door.

The room was empty.

"You gain absolutely nothing by remaining silent! Just tell me what I want to know!"

The voice came from somewhere down the hall, but it was loud. He crossed the small room and peeked out into the hallway.

He was just a few doors down from Ed's prison.

"You still can't seem to learn. Maybe this will change your mind."

That was Absalom's voice. He sounded furious, but not as furious as the Colonel was when he heard a choked scream that tapered off into a pained whimper. What could he be questioning Ed about? What the hell was he doing to the kid?

He had to quickly duck back inside the room when the door to Ed's prison open.

"Stubborn brat," Absalom muttered as he walked past Roy's hiding place.

Once the footsteps faded, he snuck straight into Ed's cell.

He thought he would be mentally prepared for what would await him. He had seen Corinthian beat the kid senseless and break his ankle. He had seen Absalom whip him. He had been hoping that was the worst the Jones brothers planned on doing to the young alchemist.

Those hopes were shattered the second he laid eyes on his subordinate.

Ed was propped up against the wall, his head falling forward. His blonde bangs shielded most of his face, but the agony it held was still completely visible

His stomach dropped when he eyed the awkward angle at which Ed's knee was bent, as if breaking his ankle wasn't bad enough.

"Those bastards."

The words were barely audible, that much was obvious when Ed still didn't seem aware of his presence. The teen's eyes were clenched shut and he was taking shallow, uneven breaths through gritted teeth. His eyes traveled down Ed's bare upper body until he noticed the belt around the kid's waist.

Blood streamed down from the belt and into the waistband of the black slacks, the only clothing Ed still had on him. He took a few steps closer to his tortured subordinate, hoping that this was some sort of nightmare and he would wake up when he finally touched the kid.

Now that he could get a better look, his brow furrowed when he saw the transmutation circle sketched onto the belt.

"What the hell?" the Colonel asked aloud, slightly louder than before.

Ed's eyes peeled open. Roy was surprised. He didn't understand how the kid was still conscious. A part of him wished the kid would just pass out. He wouldn't feel the pain if he was unconscious.

Ed opened his mouth to speak, but only a strangled cry came out.

Without thinking, Roy dropped to his knees by the teen's side. He racked his brain for anything he could say to Ed that might comfort him, but he couldn't. This was too much.

This needed to end.

"P-Please don't."

Eyes cold, Roy finally made eye contact with his young subordinate. It was as if the kid had read his mind.

"You better have one hell of a good reason for me not to order our forces to come in this second."

"You can't put innocent people in danger because of me! I know we're getting close…." Ed started, but trailed off as he grimaced. After a few shaky breaths, he spoke again. "Absalom is behind this. He can do alchemy."

Roy swallowed thickly, then nodded in agreement.

"Havoc, Hawkeye, and I found a library under the sanctuary. He's been conducting human transmutation experiments."

Despite the ever-present pain in Ed's eyes, Roy instantly noticed the understanding that flashed in them for the briefest moment.

"That's why he's been asking me about human transmutation."

The Colonel's face darkened.

_"You gain absolutely nothing by remaining silent! Just tell me what I want to know!"_

"He's been asking you about human transmutation?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

Ed nodded. Considering the state the kid was in, it was safe for Roy to guess that he hadn't told Absalom anything on the subject.

He looked at Ed's knee, then to the belt around his waist.

"Did he do this to you because you haven't told him anything?"

Again, Ed nodded. However, he was much more hesitant considering his commanding officer's hands were curling into fists.

"I'm going to incinerate them."

The Colonel didn't even realize he said those words out loud. He was alarmed when Ed's eyes widened and he frantically shook his head.

"I don't think Jeremiah and Corinthian know anything about what he's doing. The last time he came, he explained to Jeremiah that he put the belt on me because the Darkness inside of me was trying to deceive him. Corinthian visited me not long after to read the 'Scriptures' to me to prepare me for the sacrifice. I tried to tell him that his own brother was an alchemist, but he just said that the Moon would punish me for my lies. I'm certain those two truly believe everything they claim to about the Moon."

The Colonel was taken aback. So the other brothers were completely in the dark about the experiments? That didn't make sense. Why would Absalom work without his brothers?

And who was helping Absalom?

"Considering he has an alibi on each night of the callings, we think someone else is helping him…." Roy trailed off when Ed bit his lip, trying to contain his agony. "Fullmetal?"

Ed took in a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry. It just _hurts_."

Roy's eyebrows rose. Ed never admitted when he was in pain. Although, it was rather obvious. It looked as if every breath the kid took caused him nothing but agony.

Every breath….

"Fullmetal, why is there a transmutation circle on that belt?"

The young alchemist tensed, but didn't answer. Roy's gaze lingered on the blood streaming down his subordinate's stomach. He needed to get rid of that belt. Unconsciously, he reached out toward it.

"Don't touch it!" Ed snapped before his face twisted with a bit of remorse. "Sorry. It's just…Absalom transmuted nails into this belt. During his last visit, he thinned the nails and made them longer. It…it really hurts when I breathe."

"All the more reason for me to take it off."

"You know you can't do that, you idiot! Absalom will know you were here. You're finally making progress and you can't afford to mess that up now!"

Roy grit his teeth, but not from the insult. His young subordinate was so stubborn, but he was right. Still, there had to be a way to get that belt off.

"Did he say he would take it off if you answered his questions?"

Ed nodded.

"Then tell him whatever the hell he wants to know!"

Now, Ed shook his head and looked down, refusing to meet his gaze. Anger bubbled within the Colonel. Couldn't the kid just follow his orders for once?

"Quit being so stubborn! Why can't you just…."

_The microphone._

Roy nearly winced when he realized how harsh he probably sounded. Of course Ed couldn't say anything.

He leaned in close to his subordinate so that his lips were right next to his ear.

"Tell him whatever you know about human transmutation," he whispered, knowing they couldn't be overheard. "If there is any evidence of what you say, I will personally destroy it. Should General Grumman or any other higher-ups hear about it, I will cover for you. I just don't want him to hurt you anymore, so please trust me."

He pulled away and tilted Ed's head up to look at him. He saw that Havoc was right. In those pain-filled golden eyes, there was a sliver of trust.

"Please, Fullmetal."

"All right," the young alchemist whispered.

Ed's voice was weak. The kid couldn't have had much energy in him, and this conversation probably took a lot out of him.

Roy moved his hand from under Ed's chin to rest it on top of his head.

"We're going to stop Absalom, and this will all be over soon. I promise you that."

Ed nodded, his eyes fluttering shut afterward.

As much as Roy wanted to stay there with his young subordinate, he had to leave. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he figured he should be meeting back up with Hawkeye and Havoc soon. As quietly as he came in, he left and stealthily maneuvered to the hidden door. As he descended down the stairs and back into the tunnels, he couldn't help but be relieved that Ed trusted him.

However, there was a part of him that thought maybe the kid had a little too much faith in him.

They knew at least one of the people behind that transmutation circle and the murders, but that person had an entire guard at his beck and call. Then there was the fact that whoever was helping him still remained a mystery.

The three military officers definitely had their work cut out for them.

***break***

_"Absalom!"_

_He turned over and pulled the blanket over his head._

_"Absalom!"_

_"What is it Jeremiah?" he all but growled._

_"Can't you hear it?"_

_He blinked a few times. Finally sitting up, he saw his brother sprawled out on his back. His wide eyes were gazing at the clear night sky. He looked up and was greeted with the sight of the bright full moon between the branches of the trees._

_"The moon…it's speaking to me…."_

_"What the hell?" Absalom muttered._

_A crackle and pop grabbed his attention. He looked toward the dying campfire. Corinthian was lying on the ground next to it. He shook his head. He didn't understand why Corinthian was so insistent on building a fire. The least he could do was put it out before falling asleep._

_He made his way over to the fire, making sure not to step on the few belongings they had brought with them that were scattered across their campground. He smothered the rest of the dying embers. He then scoured Corinthian's backpack for a blanket, then draped it over his brother._

_"No, Absalom! I can't fall asleep yet! The moon is saying things to me. What's it saying to you, Jeremiah?"_

_His brow furrowed. Noticing the discarded mug near Corinthian, he bent down and picked it up. His eyes widened as he saw the few remaining leaves within the mug._

_"How much of this did you drink?" he demanded._

_"It's just mint," Jeremiah slurred. "Nothing to be concerned…what are you saying?"_

_He winced as Jeremiah raised his voice, seemingly yelling at the sky. At least his brothers' behavior made sense._

_Those leaves in their tea were definitely not mint._

_"Absalom."_

_He whipped around at the sound of the new voice. It had been over a year since he had heard it. A figure emerged from the trees._

_"Jonathan!"_

_He ran forward and embraced the man. The mayor put his hands on the younger's shoulders when they finally ended their hug._

_"It's been so long…."_

_"I'm sorry," he apologized. "My brothers and I…we just left after the accident. We haven't spoken to anyone else since. We've been trying to find peace."_

_Jonathan nodded in sympathy._

_"I completely understand, but it still hurt to see you go. You were my student, after all."_

_He tilted his head to the side. There was something his mentor wasn't telling him. The grin that slowly stretched from ear-to-ear told him all he needed to know._

_"You've done it, haven't you?"_

_The mayor motioned for him to follow. They made their way through the trees. His eyes widened at the massive stone encampment in his view once they reached the tree line._

_"Not yet, but I have a new lead," Jonathan said. "It's going to take a lot of research and testing, but I think we can do it."_

_He perked up at the elder's words._

_"You'll take me on as your student, again?"_

_Jonathan chuckled._

_"I know it's been a while since you've studied, but I think you and I will make a great team once I help you catch up."_

_He couldn't help but smile._

_"How are we going to test this theory?" he asked._

_"I think your brothers will agree that the moon will have a few ideas."_

"We have a problem."

Absalom was snapped out of his thoughts when Jonathan barged into their library. His mentor didn't look pleased in the slightest.

"I had to come in through the east tunnels. The military is set up west at the edge of the tree line. They're onto us!"

"You just need to calm down," Absalom tried to reason. "They're probably there because they heard Corinthian get a little rough with the officers they sent into the Sanct. From what I've seen, Jean and Wren have been following Zayne around, and Elizabeth has been spending most of her time with Jeremiah's wife. They seem to be settling in quite nicely. Once the military realize they're willing members of the congregation, they will think it's just a misunderstanding and leave."

"What about the state alchemist?" Jonathan demanded.

"They know he's not dead, and we destroyed the microphones we found on the two that arrived yesterday as well as the ones hidden in the barracks. They don't know about the sacrifice. We can just tell them that he believes the truth about the Moon."

Jonathan sighed. He was slightly more relieved, but still visibly tense.

"Have you searched the rest of the Sanct?"

Absalom nodded.

"We didn't find any more microphones. After a couple of days at the very most, they should leave."

"I still think they're onto us."

Absalom chuckled and shook his head.

"I think you're being a bit too paranoid."

Jonathan grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"We wouldn't be in this position if you would learn to control your brothers!" he snarled. He took a few breaths to calm down. "We can't let them stop us. We're getting so close to performing a perfect human transmutation. Maybe if we give them something, they'll realize how much progress we're making in our work. Maybe they'll leave alone and allow us to continue."

Absalom's eyebrows rose.

"What did you have in mind?"

His mentor let him go. He raced over to the desk and searched through the notebooks.

"We could make a Red Stone," he said as he found the notebook he was looking for, flipping through it. "Supposedly, it can heal anything. All we need are human souls. We wouldn't need too many members of the congregation."

Absalom shifted his stance slightly. Noticing the discomfort of his student, Jonathan continued.

"Just pick a few people and tell them to come to the sanctuary and pray with you. If it makes it easier for you, I can pick the salvia for you. You can drug them just like your brothers. They won't even know what's happening. I can almost guarantee they won't feel a thing."

Absalom took a deep breath and nodded. If it made his teacher feel better, he would have to do it.

They had made too much progress to stop now.

***break***

Roy couldn't get himself to move. His blood had turned to ice and kept him frozen in his spot.

He continued to watch the two between through the crack in the door, but he no longer heard what they were saying.

The mayor of Freyvale was behind this too…and he was willing to sacrifice members of the congregation in an attempt to get the military to leave. It was just sick.

If there was any bright side, it would be that Absalom was naïve enough to think the three military officers were truly a part of the Disciples of the Moon and he hadn't found any of their other bugs. Ed had been right about playing along. It was certainly working out in their favor.

He jumped out of his skin when an arm wrapped around his waist and a hand clamped over his mouth. Another hand grabbed his wrist, keeping him from dropping the lantern.

"It's just me," a voice hissed. "Sorry, but I've been trying to get your attention. You didn't respond."

The Colonel was released and he spun around.

"Havoc, what did you…Falman?"

His eyes widened at the sight of his Warrant Officer with the Second Lieutenant. He quietly shut the hidden door.

Havoc didn't need to say anything. He simply motioned for his superior to follow, and the man did so with no hesitation. The three sprinted off through the dark tunnels. The Colonel grinned to himself. If Falman was here, then that meant Havoc and Hawkeye definitely found a way out.

He was already formulating a plan.


	10. Chapter 10

Roy flinched when Falman opened the hatch and sunlight poured into the dark tunnel. He followed the Warrant Officer up the ladder with Havoc trailing right behind them.

"How'd you find this?" the Colonel couldn't help but ask.

It was incredibly dark in the tunnels. Unless Havoc and Hawkeye were looking for it, it would have been difficult to find the hatch, even with the lantern.

The Second Lieutenant chuckled.

"Would you believe me if I said I tripped over the ladder?"

Roy couldn't help but grin. Within seconds, Falman was out of the hatch and above ground.

"Colonel!"

Roy looked up to see Breda extending a hand down to him. Gratefully, he took it. He blinked a few times, his eyes having to adjust to the bright sunlight after spending so long in the tunnels.

"General Grumman is going to want to see you," Breda said as he guided his commanding officer along.

As soon as he could see properly, he noticed the trees surrounding the four military officers. Recalling the map he had studied of the area around the Sanct, he assumed they were in the forest just west of the compound. They had only been walking a for a few minutes before he saw the new base at the edge of the tree line.

"We didn't even realize that hatch was out here," Falman explained. "Fuery walked out this way to take a break from listening to…." He paused when he saw Roy and Jean tense. He didn't blame them. He didn't like to think about what he had overheard. "Anyway, he heard Havoc and Hawkeye trying to get out, but the hatch was locked. He got Breda and I, and we broke the lock. Fuery said he wouldn't have seen it if that patch of ground hadn't been moving from them trying to open it. Whoever made it camouflaged it very well."

Roy now understood why Jonathan was panicking. The military was so close to discovering their tunnels.

Breda and Falman led him through the base to General Grumman.

The First Lieutenant was there with him. From the looks of it, she was drawing a map of the Sanct.

"Colonel Mustang," the General greeted as they approached. "Good to see you're all right."

The man looked slightly relieved. Roy had to stop the corners of his lips from quirking into a frown. Grumman knew that he was fine. All of them were, except for Ed. How could he be in any way relieved yet?

Although, the more he thought about it, he realized that he and the two military officers had only made very brief contact with their outside forces. It probably took actually seeing them to truly ease any worries he had. Even though his team was trying to hide it, he could see that same relief in their eyes, especially Fuery.

He mentally cringed at the thought of how they were going to react when they see the true extent of Ed's injuries.

He forced those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't think about that now when he had to get Ed and an entire congregation to safety.

He didn't know when Jonathan and Absalom were going to try to create the Red Stone or attempt the transmutation.

"You already have a plan, don't you?" Grumman asked, a slight smirk forming on his face.

The Colonel's face soon mirrored his commanding officer's. The General seemed to know him a bit too well. He walked over to the map Hawkeye drew and extracted the pencil from her. He noticed she started to draw the tunnel that he went through, so he connected it near where she had drawn Ed's cell.

"Before Havoc and Falman found me, I overheard some disturbing information from Jonathan Sutton and Absalom," he began. "They've been using members of the congregation for their human transmutation experiments. Jonathan suspects that we're on to them, so he wants to use a few of their followers to create a Red Stone. From what I could hear, it can heal anything, but it requires the sacrifice of human souls. He thinks that giving us the Red Stone will get us to leave so they can continue their research.

"There isn't a way for us to arrest the Absalom and Jonathan without risking the lives of the rest of the congregation, so we have to get them out of the Sanct. One of the entrances to the tunnels is right by Fullmetal's cell. However, I heard Jonathan say he had to come in through the east tunnels because of our base. I think our best bet is for Hawkeye, Havoc, and I to find them and evacuate the congregation out east. Since the Disciples of the Moon are anti-military, I don't want to risk them seeing us or our base and running back into the Sanct. Aside from that, the brothers and the guards frequently come by Ed's cell. We risk them seeing us if we use the west tunnels."

General Grumman nodded in agreement.

"What about Ed?" Fuery couldn't help but ask. "How is he? Are we going to evacuate him out east too?"

The Colonel's mouth set into a grim line. Havoc and Hawkeye's expressions darkened considerably. They didn't even know how much worse Absalom had tortured Ed since they last saw him.

He opened his mouth, but a was interrupted by a very unexpected voice.

"I can help."

A soldier approached Mustang's team, escorting a kid with his long hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"I found him climbing out of the hatch," the young officer said.

"Zayne?" Jean questioned, eyebrows raising.

Roy would have been lying if he said he wasn't shocked to see the kid. No one had seen him since Havoc followed him into the garden.

"I went to sneak Ed some food when I saw Wren leaving Ed's cell and disappearing into the next room," Zayne explained. "I checked on Ed, but he was unconscious, so I tried to follow Wren, but I got lost in the tunnels until I saw the open hatch." He paused, looking like he was trying to fight back tears. "I know what happened to my father. I can't lose my brother too."

The Colonel shot a quick glare at Jean.

_You actually told him?_

The Second Lieutenant recoiled at the cold expression. No one in the congregation was supposed to know what happened to all of the victims. He knew Roy would reprimand him later for that.

Zayne continued.

"Concerning Ed, I wouldn't let anyone in the congregation see him. They still believe what the brothers say about him, that he's part of the Darkness. The second someone lays eyes on him, you lose your chance to evacuate the Sanct. They'll think you're trying to deceive them."

"There's also the fact that he's not in any condition to be moved," Roy chimed in. "His ankle's broken and Absalom shattered his knee. We shouldn't move him without medical personnel, but we don't have a lot of options. There's no way to get him up that ladder and through the hatch without worsening his injuries. It's going to take a few of us to carry Fullmetal out, and we can't risk getting attacked while we move him. We have to take care of the guards, then we can get him out through the main entrance of the Sanct."

"What should we do about the guards?" Breda asked.

"We need to incapacitate them in whatever way we can and force them out," Jean said. "They don't realize what's actually going on in the Sanct. From what I've seen, the Jones brothers have convinced them that guarding the Sanct is a sign of their faithfulness to the Moon, so they won't willingly leave like the others."

Roy nodded.

"Don't use deadly force unless absolutely necessary. They don't understand what they're doing."

Those words formed a pit in his stomach. In reality, he despised every single person in the Disciples of the Moon for just standing by as the Jones brothers brutally tortured his subordinate, some even going as far as to encourage it. A dark part of him didn't care if everyone made it out before the military raided the Sanct.

Then there was the understanding at the back of his mind that these people saw something in the Jones brothers. He didn't know how, but the brothers had given them a false sense of security and hope. They didn't even request to see the "Scriptures" or anything the brothers claimed to have found. That's how desperate they were to find some sort of purpose for their lives or find a place they felt like they belonged after feeling rejected by society.

And Absalom preyed on them for his and Jonathan's personal experiments.

It was just sick.

"Once you guys find the tunnels, I could help get the kids out," Zayne volunteered.

General Grumman looked apprehensive, as did the rest of Mustang's team. That was understandable. A kid shouldn't be helping them in a situation this dangerous. Havoc smiled reassuringly.

"He actually could," the Second Lieutenant explained. "All of the kids in the congregation really look up to Zayne and his brother. They'll follow him anywhere."

"Zachary's been spending most of the day with Jeremiah," the young boy added before turning to Riza. "I could also go with you to speak to his wife before gathering the children. We could say Jeremiah ordered us to leave for the sacrifice and we can't walk on the holy ground of the Sanct. That's the only thing I can think of to get everyone else to leave."

Everyone glanced to the General. The man sighed and nodded, looking out west. Everyone followed his gaze. The sun was slowly starting to set. It may not have been the best of plans, but they were running out of time.

He turned to the soldiers by the radios.

"Have any of the brothers come to visit Major Elric?" he asked.

One of them took off his headphones and shook his head.

"It's been silent since the Colonel left him."

General Grumman now turned to Jean.

"Second Lieutenant Havoc, you're in charge of gathering any medical supplies we have and taking care of Major Elric's injuries. I'm not sure how long it will take us to evacuate the Sanct, so we need to prevent him from getting an infection, or keep it from getting worse if he already has one. It might be a while before we can get him to the hospital in Freyvale."

Jean saluted and left to follow the General's orders.

"Colonel Mustang, I assume you'll notify us the second you're ready for us?"

Roy grinned and nodded. Fuery fetched him a pair of his ignition gloves.

He unconsciously put them on, his fingers already itching to snap and burn the bastards that tortured his young subordinate.

***break***

Jean rushed through the tunnels until he reached the staircase Roy had described. His commanding officer, the First Lieutenant, and a few sergeants were raiding the library of all the notes and books they could use as evidence. None of them would put it past Jonathan and Absalom to try to destroy their work the second they realized the military had invaded the Sanct.

Making sure he didn't hear anything, he entered the room and poked his head out into the hallway. It was empty. He snuck into Ed's cell and nearly dropped everything in his arms at the sight before him.

He remembered flinching when the Colonel mentioned Absalom shattering Ed's knee, but it was still a shock to see it. Then there was all of the blood flowing down Ed's stomach from the belt around his waist. The only thing that gave him any sort of comfort was the fact that Ed was still unconscious.

The Second Lieutenant sincerely hoped he remained that way.

He jumped when the door to the cell opened.

"We found everything we needed," Riza said as she walked in. "The Colonel left to search the barracks. He ordered us to meet him there after I help you…."

She trailed off and put a hand over her mouth when she saw Ed.

Without saying a word, Jean set the supplies down. He laid Ed on his side so he could remove the barbed wire binding his wrists behind him. Riza got some bandages and wrapped his flesh wrist.

"Can you lift him up?" she asked. "I'll get that belt off."

Jean put his hands under Ed's arms and lifted him up so his entire upper body was off the ground.

"Wha…what's…happening?" Ed slurred as his eyes fluttered open.

The Second Lieutenant winced. The young alchemist had the worst timing possible to wake up.

"I'm sorry, Ed, but we need to get this off you," the First Lieutenant apologized as she carefully took the belt off, nearly vomiting at the sight of the bloody nails as they were pulled out from the kid's flesh.

Ed's mouth opened in a noiseless cry of agony. Riza tossed the belt aside and wrapped bandages around his waist. She looked to her comrade as the beaten teen collapsed back against him.

"Do we have anything to brace his leg?"

Havoc shook his head.

"What's happening?" Ed managed to ask again once his breathing was back to normal.

"Absalom is working with the mayor of Freyvale on the human transmutation experiments," Jean explained. "Zayne's helping us get everyone out before our forces come in and arrest them." He took note of the relieved look on Ed's face and smiled. "It's almost over, Chief."

"We need to redress the wounds on his back before meeting up with the Colonel," Riza commented solemnly.

She hated that Ed had been alone since the Jones brothers had him taken away from them. She hated not being able to do anything to help him until they figured out the murders.

Even though he would be taken to safety hopefully soon, she couldn't stand the idea of him being alone again.

"I can take care of his back, so go ahead," Havoc said, not taking his eyes off the kid in his arms. "Tell the Colonel that I'm sorry, but I can't leave him."

Normally, the First Lieutenant would never approve going against one of Mustang's orders, but she couldn't help but be a bit relieved. She had a hunch the Colonel would understand.

Knowing Havoc was already armed, she gave him some extra bullets, just to be safe.

"Ed, do you think you can transmute a barricade for the door?" she asked.

Ed blinked a few times before nodding. She reached out to stroke some of the hair that had fallen in front of his face behind his ear.

"Block the door if you can. Don't you dare take it down until the Colonel or myself come back to get you out. Do I make myself clear?"

Ed nodded again. Hesitantly, Riza left to find their commanding officer.

Leaning back against Havoc for support, Ed clapped and placed his hands on the ground. Blue light flashed and the stone around the door merged, forming a solid wall. Sweat poured down his face and his breathing was ragged. That transmutation had taken everything out of him.

The Second Lieutenant gently adjusted him so he was laying on his side again. He made quick work of disinfecting and bandaging the kid's back. He let out a sigh. He had at least taken care of Ed's injuries as best he could for the time being.

He frowned when he noticed Ed starting to shiver. Although, he shouldn't be too surprised. It was freezing in the cell, and being covered in sweat and blood was doing nothing to help the kid. He unbuttoned his shirt and draped it over the shivering alchemist. It was a thin shirt, but it was the only thing he had.

Ed slightly jumped at the unexpected gesture.

"Thank you," he whispered.

With Havoc's help, he was able to sit up and slip his arms through the sleeves. He leaned against the Second Lieutenant, who was trying to share as much body heat as he could.

They sat there in silence, anxiously awaiting the Colonel or Lieutenant Hawkeye to return.

***break***

"Is that everyone?" Roy asked as his First Lieutenant joined him down in the east tunnels.

Riza nodded.

"I made one final sweep of the Sanct. I had to avoid the guards, but everyone else is gone."

The Colonel finished the transmutation circle he was drawing with the chalk he found in Jonathan and Absalom's library. Activating it, he successfully sealed the east tunnels to prevent anyone else from coming back into the Sanct.

The two military officers had been lucky. They had searched all around the barracks on the east side of the stone complex and found no sign of the tunnels. It wasn't until they continued further into the Sanct, beyond where the brothers had imprisoned Ed, that they found the entrance. It couldn't have taken them more than an hour to find.

The Colonel and First Lieutenant sprinted through the tunnels until they came across a hatch, similar to the one in the west tunnels. Roy blew the hatch open to ensure Zayne could lead the congregation back above ground.

The kid had been right. It hadn't been any trouble to sneak the children out of the Sanct. Most of the parents followed without any questions, especially when Jeremiah's wife said her husband and Zachary had determined that the Moon's desire be that they leave the holy ground for the duration of the sacrifice. Zayne had helped sneak everyone out in small groups so they wouldn't attract the attention of the guards.

Honestly, they probably couldn't have evacuated the Sanct if it hadn't been for Zayne.

Roy reached into his pocket and pulled the microphone out.

"Move in, now!" he ordered. "I'll meet you all in the sanctuary."

He and Riza raced through the halls. They arrived at the sanctuary just as their forces started filing in from the hidden door.

He addressed the group of soldiers at the very front.

"Take care of the guards at the entrance."

They saluted and ran off to do as they were ordered. The rest of the forces entered the sanctuary and surrounded the Colonel. He turned to the men to his right.

"Split up to search the west and east corridors." He turned his team and some other soldiers that were stationed right in front of him. "You all are coming with me to search the north corridors." He then addressed the remaining soldiers. "Guard the sanctuary and the west tunnels. Don't let anyone into that library or out of the Sanct."

With that, his group followed him to sweep the halls on the north side of the compound. They were fortunate in the fact that they had only run into three guards. They had taken them by surprise, so the guards didn't even get to fire off a shot before they were apprehended and being forced out of the Sanct.

The Colonel started to feel relieved as they were getting closer and closer to Ed's prison; however, there was one thought that kept nagging at him.

He hadn't seen Jonathan or any of the brothers...but perhaps he spoke too soon.

When he and his group rounded the next corner, he saw Corinthian stumbling down the hall.

"W-What—" he slurred almost drunkenly before he screamed in pure agony.

Roy's fingers were poised to snap again as he watched the man try to put out the flames that were quickly spreading across his body. It was rash, but he certainly didn't regret it. Corinthian helped torture his subordinate. He deserved so much worse than that, but that would have to wait.

"Get him out," he growled. "We still need to interrogate him and Jeremiah."

A few soldiers rushed forward to put out the flames and drag Corinthian out of the Sanct.

Suddenly, an explosion resounded through the halls, shaking the ground and nearly causing Mustang and his team to crash to the ground.

"What the hell?" the Colonel muttered.

That had come from the direction of Ed's cell. He didn't even wait for his team or any of the other soldiers. He raced through the halls, snapping at another few guards he ran into along the way. Those men would be taken care of and escorted out.

He had to find Ed and Jean.

He froze in his tracks when he was just down the hall from Ed's prison. Rubble was scattered throughout the hallway. Breda nearly bowled him over when the rest of the team finally caught up. Cautiously, they made their way down the hall.

There was a gaping hole where the door to Ed's cell used to be. Chunks of stone littered the room. Roy's eyes widened when he saw his Second Lieutenant on his side against the far wall, unmoving.

The force of the explosion must have sent him crashing into the wall.

"Havoc!"

He knelt by his subordinate's side. Breda joined him just a second later.

"Hey, Havoc, you need to wake up!" Breda said as he gently slapped Jean's face, trying to wake him.

It seemed to work as Havoc's eyes fluttered open followed by a groan of pain. Before anyone could ask him anything, his eyes shot wide open.

"Ed…Absalom..."

He couldn't form a complete sentence, but the Colonel instantly understood.

"Breda, stay with him. The rest of you, follow me!"

He dashed back toward the sanctuary. He had to get to that transmutation circle. That was the only place he could think of that Absalom would take Ed.

He just hoped he wasn't too late.

***break***

"The array is finished," Jonathan announced when Absalom carried Ed down the staircase. "We have to hurry."

With the military guarding the sanctuary and the tunnels, the mayor had to force his way in to get to his work. Taking out the soldiers in the sanctuary had been easy enough. He simply sealed the door to the staircase and the west tunnels so no one could bother them as they worked. Unfortunately, he found that someone had already been in the library and scoured through their research and taken it, but no matter.

Once the military saw how much progress they were making in the field of human transmutation, they would gladly return their notes.

"I think the kid's finally coming around," Absalom commented with a smirk.

He dropped the kid carelessly in the middle of the transmutation circle, eliciting a pained groan from the young alchemist.

It took Ed a few tries to open his eyes. When he did, he didn't recognize his surroundings in the slightest. After a few seconds, he remembered everything.

"Havoc…."

He remembered the Second Lieutenant tensing up when they heard footsteps coming down the hallway. They had suddenly stopped. Just seconds later, he found himself propelled through the air until he hit the far wall in his cell.

After that, everything went black.

He tried to get up, but that proved to be an impossible feat. When he plopped back down on the ground, he noticed the horrifyingly familiar markings. He was lying on a human transmutation circle. Suddenly, he felt a kick to his side. His assailant didn't relent until he was turned over on his back.

"I'm sure your friend is fine, but I wouldn't worry about him," he heard Absalom say. Soon enough, the man was looming over him and waving a knife in front of his face. "You brought this upon yourself, Fullmetal Alchemist. All you had to do was answer a few of my questions, but you refused."

Ed let out a gasp of pain as Absalom plunged the knife into his stomach.

"I offered you a painless death, but you insisted on being so difficult."

He yanked the knife out and stabbed him again, and again. To Ed, it seemed like an eternity passed before he stopped. When he did, he dropped the bloody knife, admiring the seven stab wounds he created in the young alchemist's stomach.

"Where's Zachary?" Jonathan asked.

Absalom looked to his mentor, shame clouding in his eyes.

"I…I couldn't find him or Corinthian after they drank the tea," he hesitantly responded.

"How could you be so careless?"

"I couldn't take them with me to retrieve our sacrifice!" Absalom defended. "Besides, we still have time. The kid has a while before he bleeds out, so we can't even use him yet."

"I don't think you understand how serious this is! The military has invaded the Sanct! They've probably apprehended your brother already. They probably have more soldiers on their way in. We have to do the transmutation now!"

"You know we can't do that!"

"Absalom?" a voice asked.

Jeremiah staggered his way in from the library with a hand on his head.

"You won't believe this. I had the most amazing vision from the Moon!"

Jonathan looked to Jeremiah. Absalom's eyes widened when the mayor picked up the previously discarded knife and walked toward Ed.

"You can't!" Absalom insisted. "He refused to cooperate and help us in our research. He needs to suffer for trying to prevent us from making progress!"

"Fine!" Jonathan yelled.

He stalked over to Jeremiah and snapped his neck. Absalom couldn't move.

"B-Brother?"

He couldn't do anything but stare as his mentor dragged his brother's dead body to the circle.

"Move," Jonathan ordered as he shoved Absalom out of the way.

Ed gazed at the two with horrified eyes.

"No!" Absalom screeched as Jonathan knelt down to activate the circle.

He tackled the mayor, his hand grappling for the knife that had clattered to the ground.

"Absalom, what the hell are you doing? You know this transmutation will work! We'll bring your brother back!"

The two instantly stopped fighting when chunks of stone came flying down the staircase, instantly followed by a wave of intense heat. The bright light of the flames temporarily blinded them. Once they could see again, they were greeted with the sight of a very pissed off Roy.

"Wren?" Absalom questioned, his eyebrows raising.

Without saying a word, the Colonel raised a single gloved hand and snapped. The two suddenly found themselves consumed in flames. Jonathan panicked, staggering toward the library as he tried to put them out. Absalom crashed to his knees, a tortured scream ripping itself from his throat.

Just as quickly as they appeared, the flames were gone. Absalom collapsed on his side, almost every inch of his skin charred black. His pain-filled eyes met Roy's obsidian ones.

"F-Flame…." he croaked in agony.

Absalom realized he was looking into the cold gaze of none other than the Flame Alchemist. That was the last thing he saw before he gave into his body's desire to fall unconscious.

Roy turned to Falman, one of the two of his remaining men. The others, including Fuery, were tending to the men that had been injured in the sanctuary and getting them out of the Sanct.

Much like Ed's cell, the sanctuary had been completely destroyed. He would be genuinely surprised if there weren't a few casualties.

"Get him out of here," Roy ordered.

Falman didn't need to be told twice.

Riza skidded to her knees beside Ed the second the Colonel took care of Jonathan and Absalom. Her blood ran cold at the sight of the stab wounds in Ed's stomach. She immediately ripped off the shirt Havoc had given him, ignoring the stench of burning flesh as she bunched it up and pressed it against the wounds.

It did nothing to staunch the blood flow.

"Colonel!" she called out, trying not to panic.

Roy was at her side in an instant.

"Havoc, we need to get you out of here!"

"No…no I have to know that he's okay…."

Jean came stumbling down the stairs, Breda right on his heels. They both froze when they saw Ed. Riza swallowed.

"He's losing too much blood."

Despite suffering from a concussion, Havoc snapped into focus. He noticed Ed's eyes fluttering shut.

"No, Chief! You have to stay with us!" he demanded as he joined Roy and Riza. "Colonel, give me your shirt."

Roy did so without hesitation. Jean pressed it against the kid's stomach, joining Riza in trying to stop Ed from losing any more blood.

They were miserably failing.

"The wounds are too deep," Havoc commented, his voice slightly cracking at the end.

He met his commanding officer's gaze.

"Sir, you…you have to cauterize the wound."


	11. Chapter 11

Roy's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't have possibly heard Havoc correctly.

_Sir, you…you have to cauterize the wounds."_

No. There had to be another way to stop the bleeding. He couldn't do that. He couldn't burn Ed.

He was startled from his thoughts when the Second Lieutenant gripped his shoulders and shook him violently.

"Colonel, you have to snap out of it! He's not going to make it much longer if he keeps bleeding. That's not even taking into account if something vital was hit. He won't make it to a hospital like this. This is the only chance he has!"

"Do…it…."

Both men snapped their gaze to Ed. His voice was so weak. It was obvious he was doing his best to follow Havoc's orders of staying awake; however, he wouldn't be able to keep that up for much longer.

Despite the agony present in those golden eyes, the Colonel could see understanding in them as well. His youngest subordinate accepted what he had to do. His youngest subordinate would forgive him.

That didn't make it any easier.

"Hold him down," he ordered.

Havoc and Breda each took hold of a wrist and shoulder, pinning them firmly to the ground. Riza straddled Ed's automail leg to keep it in place, her hands gently adding pressure to the flesh one to keep it from moving too much, but not causing Ed any more pain.

Roy hesitantly removed the bloody shirts covering the kid's stomach. He stared at the stab wounds. If there was any upside to the situation, it's that they were all inflicted close together, just above Ed's belly button. It wouldn't take as long to burn them all closed.

He snapped.

Everything moved in slow motion as the flickering flame got closer and closer until it kissed the bloody, mutilated skin.

Then Ed _screamed._

The kid instinctively thrashed to get away from the searing pain, but didn't go anywhere thanks to the officers holding him down.

Roy could vaguely hear Havoc and Breda's voices, but it was like hearing someone speak while wearing ear muffs. He had to do his best to block out the voices. He had to block out Ed's tortured screams.

He had to remain focused.

Time couldn't have passed any slower while he watched the wounds close. The stench of Ed's burnt flesh assaulted his senses, but he had to ignore it. He couldn't let anything distract him. He couldn't let this go on longer than it had to.

"Almost done," he said, not sure whether he was trying to comfort Ed, his subordinates, or himself.

He adjusted the flame to the final wound that had to be cauterized. As quickly as he could, he burned it shut.

He let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding when he finished. Ed's screaming stopped and was replaced with ragged breathing.

"Breda, go and make sure a car is ready to transport him to the hospital," Hawkeye told the Second Lieutenant. "We have to get him there as quickly as possible."

Breda rushed off to do as he was told.

The Colonel didn't even notice the exchange between his subordinates. Without thinking, he moved closer to the nearly lifeless teen.

Ed blinked a few times, his gaze unfocused.

Roy's breath hitched in his throat when he saw what was underneath the kid's eyes. Tears tracked their way through the blood and grime that caked Ed's face.

His youngest subordinate was tough. In the years Ed had been under his command, he had never once seen the kid cry. Of course, there were things that would upset the young alchemist. He may have locked himself in his dorm for a few days or screamed in a fit of rage, but he never cried. All of this time, the Colonel had secretly hoped he would never have to see it.

Now, not only was he seeing it, but he caused it.

He cradled Ed to his chest and gently wiped the tears away. Ed's eyes widened at the gesture. He might have been close to passing out from the pain, but he could still understand the strangeness of his superior's behavior. The man brushed away the sweat-soaked bangs that clung to his forehead.

"Hey, Fullmetal, it's done. It's okay. You're going to be okay."

Ed let out an unintelligible, agonized groan in response. He couldn't speak. It was taking every ounce of the remaining strength he had not to pass out.

He was under orders not to do so, after all.

Roy winced when he realized Ed couldn't even respond to him. The torment still present on the kid's face was crushing him with every passing second it remained. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Ed's forehead.

"I'm sorry, Ed. I'm so, so sorry."

He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forgive himself for causing the kid this much pain.

"Sir."

He looked to his First Lieutenant, her voice startling him. He had nearly forgotten there were others there with him.

"He still needs to get to a hospital immediately. We don't have time to wait for anyone else to come in. We're going to have to carry him out ourselves."

Roy nodded. Ed shouldn't be moved at all in his condition, but they didn't have a whole lot of options if he was going to survive. It was a miracle he was alive now.

He carefully slipped his arms under Ed's back and legs to hoist him up in his arms.

"I'm sorry, kid," he muttered when the young alchemist cried out as his shattered knee was jostled.

Checking to make sure he had a good hold on the kid and wouldn't have to move him more than absolutely necessary, he led the way out.

"Colonel, where's Jonathan?" Havoc asked as the three were practically running up to the sanctuary.

Roy's eyes widened. He remembered the man stumbling toward the library as his flames consumed him.

"He probably passed out in the library," he responded. "I'll send someone in to get him later."

He couldn't get himself to waste any more thoughts on that murderer. Ed was his only concern at the moment. The three rushed through the sanctuary until he came to a sudden stop…until he felt it.

Someone was manipulating the oxygen atoms in the air throughout the sanctuary.

He'd done it himself more times than he could count. He adjusted the oxygen levels in the air to create and control his flames. It was second-nature to him.

That's how he knew they were in serious danger.

He scanned the destroyed remains of the sanctuary. At least their forces had been successful in getting all of the injured soldiers out and to safety. He just hoped no one else was left in the Sanct.

"Colonel?" Riza asked, noticing the troubled look on his face.

Jonathan must not have been unconscious as he had assumed. He didn't understand how he was still awake, or in any condition to attempt alchemy for that matter. He was the only living alchemist to master flame alchemy, but he wouldn't be surprised if there was some other variation of it in those ancient books in that library.

Assuming it was a similar practice to his own, he racked his brain for anything Jonathan could use to create a spark.

If there was no spark, there couldn't be a fire, but then he remembered.

_The lanterns._

One broken lantern would be all Jonathan needed. He looked back to the previously hidden doorway. An orange light was creeping up the stairs.

"Dammit!" he swore.

They weren't going to make it out in time. Even if they made it out of the sanctuary, the grass in the courtyard would catch fire.

He glanced down at the kid in his arms before making his decision. Wordlessly, he handed Ed over to Havoc. His Second Lieutenant looked up at him, concerned. The Colonel wrapped his arms around his subordinates just before the flames engulfed them.

***break***

Breda just drove one of the cars to the entrance of the Sanct as the last of their forces exited through the main gate.

"Is that everyone?" General Grumman asked as he approached the Second Lieutenant.

Breda saluted when he saw the General.

"Almost. The Colonel and Lieutenants Hawkeye and Havoc should be coming out with Major Elric any second now. Fullmetal is—"

Breda was cut off when an intense wave of heat and blindingly bright flames erupted from the Sanct. The flamboyant colors of the garden that had surrounded the compound had been reduced to ashes and a raging fire took its place.

The gate was completely blown off its hinges, nearly hitting the Second Lieutenant and General. Falman and Fuery were at their side in an instant.

"Where's…." Fuery started to ask, but trailed off when he saw the horror on Breda's face.

"They're still in there."

Unconsciously, he moved toward the burning Sanct.

This couldn't be happening. Roy Mustang wouldn't let himself or any of his subordinates perish like this. Ed…Ed couldn't have suffered through everything he did only to die before making it out of that hell that had been his prison.

Strong arms had to hold him back from getting closer to the roaring flames. He vaguely heard Falman talking to him.

"Breda, you need to calm down! Maybe they—"

"Look!" Fuery shouted while pointing to where the gate used to be.

Three dark figures stalked through the flames, getting bigger the closer they got to the main gate. Coughing and ragged breathing could be heard as they made it out of the flames.

Now the Second Lieutenant could see that it was actually his four comrades. Havoc was carrying Ed while Riza had Roy's arm slung over her shoulder. The Colonel looked like he was about to pass out any second.

Without hesitating, he flung open the door to the backseat. He and Falman rushed forward, the Warrant officer helping Hawkeye carry the Colonel to the passenger side.

"How is he?" he couldn't help but ask as he looked down at the kid in Havoc's arms.

Jean was trying to answer, but couldn't get any words out between fits of coughing. By the looks of it, Ed was having an even worse time breathing. The Second Lieutenant stumbled toward the car.

Breda helped keep the young alchemist as steady as possible as Jean climbed into the backseat. It took some adjusting, but they got Ed stretched out across the seat, leaning against Havoc's chest.

"We have to go!" Riza practically yelled as she jumped behind the wheel.

Breda quickly shed his jacket and tossed it to Jean, who gratefully caught it and wrapped it around the trembling teen.

The second he shut the car door, it sped off toward Freyvale.

***break***

Riza had to force herself to keep her eyes on the road. She kept glancing at the Colonel in the seat next to her and Ed in the rearview mirror. Roy fought to stay awake, but his energy was completely drained. Very much unwillingly, he was pulled into unconsciousness.

He had used the array on his gloves to form a shield with no oxygen around their group as the flames consumed the Sanct, while maintaining the oxygen levels within the shield so they could breathe. It wasn't just a simple transmutation. It had taken all of his energy to keep up that shield so they could sprint through the burning Sanct as he had to adjust the oxygen atoms with each and every step they took.

It was quite impressive to see, but getting out of that compound wasn't their most pressing issue.

She risked another glance at Ed.

"Chief, you need to stay awake," she heard as she saw Havoc gently prodding the kid's face.

By some miracle, his other wounds hadn't opened again; however, he still had lost a lot of blood. Then there was the fact he could be bleeding internally if Absalom nicked one of his organs. He had to stay conscious.

"…'m tired…."

"EDWARD ELRIC DON'T YOU DARE FALL ASLEEP!"

The First Lieutenant almost didn't recognize her own voice. Jean was noticeably surprised. He wasn't sure he had ever seen Riza look so…panicked.

She saw Ed's eyes widen. Those golden eyes still threatened to droop shut, but he made more of an effort to keep them open. The car was filled with a tense silence the rest of the way to Freyvale.

Relief threatened to flood her veins once they were in the city, but they still had to make it to the hospital.

"Sorry…." Ed breathed as he finally slumped back against Havoc, unconscious.

"No!" Jean shouted. "Chief, wake up! Hawkeye, can't you drive any faster?"

"We're almost there!" she snapped back, trying and failing to keep the hysteria out of her voice.

"Fullmetal…."

Roy was finally coming around. It took much more effort than it should have for him to turn around in his seat to get a look at his subordinate. The concern was evident on his face.

"He's…going to…be fine. He…has to be."

Riza forced herself to focus on the road. Narrowly missing the pedestrians walking through the parking lot, she pulled up to the hospital. She hadn't even stopped the car before the Second Lieutenant threw his door open.

Jean wasted no time in jumping out of the car and hauling Ed up into his arms. He raced inside, practically screaming for a doctor. Once one of the nurses caught a glimpse of the tortured kid, more doctors and nurses than he could count swarmed them.

Ed was taken from him and placed on a gurney before being rushed into the nearest operating room. He made to follow, but a few nurses stopped him.

"You need to see a doctor," one of them said, looking at the dried up blood crusted around the wound on his head. "You probably have a concussion."

Jean stared down the hall to the room the doctors and nurses took his young comrade. He sighed and reluctantly allowed himself to be led away.

Ed was going to make it. Ed was going to be okay.

He had to be.

He couldn't imagine Mustang's team, the team that had now become his family, without Ed.

***break***

"Sir, General Grumman and the rest of our unit will be joining us soon. They're making sure those injured in the sanctuary are transported here and being taken care of. All of them survived. They were just knocked out in the explosion. There were no casualties at all aside from Jonathan and Jeremiah."

Roy looked up from his sleeping subordinate to the First Lieutenant who just entered the room. She grinned fondly at him, noticing how exhausted he looked.

"You should get some rest, sir."

He almost smirked at her. She was one to talk.

He turned his gaze back to Ed when the kid slightly stirred; however, Ed showed no signs of actually waking up.

"He's not going anywhere," Riza tried to assure him. "If you go rest, he's still going to be here."

"I'm not leaving him."

There was a finality to his tone that stopped his First Lieutenant from further convincing him to leave. She knew there wouldn't be a point. The Colonel probably felt like it was his fault Ed was even here.

She winced as she remembered Ed's screams from Roy cauterizing the wound. She felt bad enough for holding him down, forcing him to endure the excruciating agony. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Roy was feeling.

He was the one who actually burned the kid.

Although, it was necessary to save Ed's life. Somewhere deep down, Roy knew that, but a part of her knew that knowledge didn't make him feel any less guilty. She knew he still felt guilty about burning her back, and she was a full grown adult who asked him to. Having to burn Ed….

As much as she wanted to stay and wait for Ed to wake up, she knew Roy needed to be alone. She could come back later.

Quietly, she left the Colonel to check in on Jean. She grinned to herself, wondering if the Second Lieutenant would be terrorizing one of the nurses about letting him visit Ed like the last time.

Roy continued to stare at his subordinate, as if he would disappear if he looked away. He watched Ed's chest rise and fall.

_"The knife nicked his small intestine and caused some internal bleeding. Burning the wounds shut bought him some time, but I'm honestly still surprised he made it here."_

He shuddered as he remembered the doctor's words. It reminded him of how close he came to losing Ed.

He had been in Havoc's room when a nurse notified him that the kid could have visitors. Without hesitating, he ran straight to Ed's bedside, barely getting a glimpse of a few nurses shoving Jean back down on the bed and threatening to sedate him if he didn't rest.

He wasn't surprised in the slightest that Ed wasn't conscious. He was pleased to see that his flesh leg had been put in a cast and that the rest of his injuries had been taken care of. He pulled up a chair next to the kid's bed, and that's where he had remained for the past few hours.

He closed his eyes.

"Colonel?"

Actually, he must have dozed off because Ed was now sitting up in his bed. He was torn between throwing his arms around the kid and hugging him in relief and strangling him for scaring him so bad and putting everyone, including himself, through hell these past twenty-four hours.

Then there was the fact that Ed was sitting up. He certainly shouldn't be. He nearly ordered his subordinate to lay back down out of habit, but figured this was probably the most comfortable position for the kid now that he was awake.

The wounds on his back were now properly treated, but it still couldn't be comfortable to lay on it. His stomach was an absolute mess from the burns and the fact that the doctors still had to operate on him to stop the internal bleeding. There was just no way for the young alchemist to comfortably rest.

"Is everyone okay?" Ed asked.

Roy wasn't surprised in the slightest. Of course his subordinate would be concerned about everyone else but himself.

He managed to nod.

"The entire congregation made it out, including the guards. Lieutenant Hawkeye informed me that the military suffered no casualties during the raid."

"What about the fire?"

"No one aside from us and Jonathan were still in the Sanct when it burst into flames. Jonathan perished. I'm pretty sure he meant to and tried to take out as many people as he could with him."

The kid was visibly relieved, but still a little tense.

That's when Roy realized his arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were narrowed at the young alchemist. Ed was awake. He could finally see that his subordinate was okay.

Now, they had a lot to talk about, and the kid definitely knew it.

Ed took a deep breath. He stared down at his lap, fiddling with the sheets on the bed.

"Colonel," he hesitantly began. "I'm really sorry. I know I messed up. Just let me explain—"

His superior interrupted him before he could go on.

"Why did you give yourself up?" Roy demanded.

The Colonel was obviously pissed, but his tone was surprisingly calm.

"Your cover would have been blown."

"So you blow yours and Havoc's to protect mine?"

Ed didn't have a response to that. After a moment of tense silence, he finally spoke up again.

"Corinthian looked like he was ready to kill you and Hawkeye. I didn't want any of you to get hurt."

"Dammit, Fullmetal! I'm your commanding officer. You're not supposed to protect me. You shouldn't have had to suffer through what you did. I should have been in your place!

"Then what do you think would have happened?" Ed couldn't help but raise his voice. He finally looked up to meet his superior's gaze. "You told me that Zayne led you and Havoc to the transmutation circle. He knew you were from the military and could help him. If mine and Havoc's cover remained intact, do you think he would have trusted us enough to show us that?"

The Colonel glared at his subordinate, unable to come up with an answer.

"Would you believe me if I said I also gave myself up because I trust you?" Ed asked.

That certainly got Roy's attention. His thoughts briefly wandered back to just after he and Riza joined the congregation.

_"He trusts you."_

A part of him didn't believe Havoc's words. That is, he didn't believe it until he heard it from Ed.

"You've been in the military much longer than I have," the young alchemist explained. "I haven't gone undercover for missions like you have. When the Jones brothers realized the military had infiltrated the Sanct, I honestly didn't know what to do. I don't know if you can believe it or not, but I actually listen to you on occasion." He paused, as if those words would make him vomit. "You've told me I can be reckless at times. I knew I couldn't afford to be with the lives of hundreds of people at stake. If your cover wasn't blown, I thought you of all people would be able to figure out a way to save the mission. You proved me right."

The Colonel opened his mouth to respond, but closed it. He was completely speechless. Ed slightly smirked.

"I don't think you're angry with me at all," he said quite boldly. "I think you're angry that someone nearly ruined this mission and we didn't have many options if we wanted to stop the murders."

Roy stared at his young subordinate. The kid was right. Given the situation they had been in, he honestly didn't know what else they could have done that would have resulted in only two deaths and a few injuries.

Wordlessly, he stood up and moved closer to Ed. The teen's smirk faded when he saw the serious look on Roy's face.

"C-Colonel?" he stammered.

Roy sat down next to him on the bed, gently putting his arms around him and pulling him into a hug. His eyes widened at the sudden gesture.

"You're right," the Colonel admitted. "I'm angry that everything played out as it did, and I'm sorry I took that out on you. We couldn't have stopped Absalom and Jonathan if it hadn't been for you. I just hate seeing my subordinates get hurt. I…you…you almost died."

"But I didn't," Ed interjected. "If I could go back to the beginning of this mission, I wouldn't change anything. I think you're forgetting that we couldn't have stopped them without you, Colonel. You're the one that came up with the plan to evacuate and raid the Sanct. You saved the lives of the entire congregation. In the end, you got me out, just like you promised you would. I said it before and I'll say it again: I trust you."

Roy pulled him in even closer, so his head was resting against the man's chest. Roy planted his chin on top of Ed's head.

"You shouldn't trust me. I _burned_ you."

"You saved my life," Ed corrected.

The two were silent, but it was no longer tense. After a few minutes, Roy finally looked down at Ed. The teen's eyes were closed and one hand was clutching the fabric of the shirt Riza had found for him.

Ed was sleeping peacefully.

Smiling to himself, he carefully moved to lay down with the kid without disturbing him, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Within seconds, Riza was back in the room. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw Ed asleep in the Colonel's arms.

"He finally woke up?" she ventured.

Roy nodded. She moved closer to the two, her brow furrowing when she noticed Ed slightly shivering. She quickly left and returned with a blanket, covering the injured alchemist.

"How is he?" she whispered.

The Colonel smiled and looked down on the kid. The First Lieutenant couldn't help but stroke the long strands of blonde hair. It seemed to comfort Ed, his face looking even more peaceful than before.

"He's going to be fine," Roy assured her. "His injuries are going to take a while to heal, but he'll be fine."

He was certain she already knew that, but she still looked relieved. Without saying anything, she slid onto the small bed on Ed's other side and draped an arm around his waist.

Ed slightly smiled in his sleep, now nestled in between two military officers that have come to see him as part of their family.

"He might not be so happy about this when he wakes up," Roy chuckled, noticing how content his sleeping subordinate looked.

"Maybe not," Riza admitted, "but these hospitals can get cold. This will help keep him warm. Also, taking into consideration that we almost lost him, I think he can tolerate this."

The arm embracing the kid slightly tightened as she snuggled closer to the two. She gently kissed the top of Ed's head before resting her head against the Colonel's.

Roy grinned at his First Lieutenant, who reciprocated the gesture. It was amazing how she hadn't even talked to Ed yet, but just knowing that he woke up and was okay lifted her spirits.

Soon enough, the two military officers drifted off, just as content as the kid in their arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene at the end was inspired by a fic called Parental Instincts by iamsnowilsadmiral on FFN. It's such a cute oneshot that should definitely be checked out!
> 
> I'll finally get the last chapter up tomorrow! Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you sure you're up for this, Colonel? We can do the interrogation later, or I could have someone else do it."

Roy stared straight ahead as he walked by General Grumman's side through the halls of the hospital.

"No," he stated firmly. "He's finally awake. I want answers, and I want them now."

The General didn't bother saying anything else. Nothing was going to change his subordinate's mind on the matter.

It had already been hard enough to keep the Colonel away from the corporal that finally came forward and admitted to leaking the military's suspicion of the cult. It was the very corporal that picked the Colonel and First Lieutenant up from the train station in Freyvale. The father of the latest female victim had been at the train station, waiting to pick up family traveling in for the girl's funeral. Apparently, the corporal was trying to comfort the distraught father and assured him that the military was involved to find out who killed his daughter and was currently investigating the Disciples of the Moon.

Roy had been furious.

It took Riza assuring him that the corporal would suffer the consequences of his actions when they returned to Eastern Command and that his time was better spent helping tend to his injured subordinates to stop him from confronting the man.

The second General Grumman notified him that Absalom was awake, he followed his commanding officer without any questions.

When they reached their destination, the two stopped and stared at the door in front of them. The soldiers guarding it moved aside instantly.

Without saying anything, the Colonel barged into Absalom's room.

Grumman sighed. He had a feeling they would finally have some answers, but he also had a feeling neither of them would like what they were going to hear.

***break***

"Brother…."

Al couldn't help but be horrified by his brother's physical state when Falman led him to Ed's room. The younger Elric had been worried sick since Riza called him the previous night and told him to get Freyvale as fast as possible.

While she hadn't told him everything, Al knew his brother had gotten into quite a bit of trouble.

Of all the injuries he could think of his brother obtaining, nothing could have prepared him for the sight waiting for him.

Ed was sitting up in his hospital bed. His leg was in a cast and elevated on a pillow. He wasn't wearing shirt, so there wasn't anything to hide the plethora of bandages covering Ed's stomach and back.

Riza was sitting next to the injured alchemist on the bed, finishing and tying off his hair in the trademark braid. Jean was in a chair beside the bed, looking both exhausted and relieved.

Ed's eyes widened in surprise when he saw his brother, then he grinned.

"Hey, Al! How's it—"

"I thought I told you to be careful before you left!" Al yelled. "What did you do this time, brother?"

Ed winced as his younger brother yelled at him. The First and Second Lieutenant chuckled at the exchange between the two. They should have expected nothing less.

"Alphonse, it might be hard for you to believe, but Ed actually wasn't doing anything reckless," Riza spoke up.

"It's true," Havoc chimed in. "Because of your brother, we saved the lives of hundreds of people."

Despite not having facial expressions, they could all tell the younger Elric suddenly felt guilty. He slowly approached Ed.

"Oh…then what happened?"

Ed let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He would never admit it, but Al could scare him when he was worried or upset that he did something stupid. He wasn't too sure Al would believe him if he tried to defend himself. At least he had the two military officers to vouch for him. He gave his brother a wry grin and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, Al, it's kind of a long story…."

***break***

The General and Colonel stared at the badly burned man in the hospital bed. Absalom's wrists were carefully bound to the sides of the bed. Even though he wasn't in any position to try to escape, he was an alchemist. It was definitely better to be safe than sorry.

If Grumman was honest, he was surprised his subordinate had left Absalom alive. They did still have questions they needed answers to, but this was the man that tortured Ed and nearly got all of them killed.

The General wouldn't have blamed Roy in the slightest if he had let Absalom burn alive.

However, Absalom was probably wishing he was dead. Horrendous burns covered his entire body.

Both of them were shocked to hear Absalom had awakened. The man stared at them with pain-filled, tired eyes.

"I see the Flame Alchemist decided to pay me a visit," Absalom got out before he was taken over by a coughing fit.

His voice was wheezy and weak. It might have been a struggle for him to talk, but he could still answer their questions.

"I think you know why I'm here."

"Where are my brothers?" Absalom demanded before Roy could start interrogating him.

"Corinthian's in the room next door, but Jeremiah's dead in case you forgot about that."

Absalom winced.

"Where's Jonathan?"

"Dead. He perished when he set the Sanct on fire. Now, how about you answer some of our questions? You could start by telling us where you got those books we found in your library."

Absalom remained silent.

The Colonel smirked. A part of him had been hoping Absalom would decide to be difficult. Without hesitating, he stepped forward and grabbed the burned flesh on his arm. Absalom let out a strangled cry at the sudden agony.

"If you tell us what we want to know, I'll—"

"Fine!" the murderer roared.

Roy let go, not surprised it didn't take much to get him to talk. That man maliciously tortured his subordinate, but couldn't take the pain himself.

Absalom was a true coward.

After a few ragged breaths, he spoke again.

"Honestly, I don't know where those books came from. I don't even know who built the compound. Jonathan never knew." He slightly choked up as he mentioned his deceased mentor. "Jonathan found it and shared his knowledge with me. He was meant to. We were chosen to find a successful theory for human transmutation."

Roy was slightly unsettled. No one knew who came up with the sick and twisted theory of sacrificing a human to bring another back.

On second thought, he wasn't sure he wanted to know who would come up with such an idea.

"We found salvia in the garden surrounding the Sanct," Roy continued. "Did you drug Corinthian Jeremiah so they would have visions like you claimed to have?"

"Not at first," Absalom admitted. "My brothers were always careless. They made tea with salvia leaves on multiple occasions while we were out in that forest. While they were hallucinating, they thought the moon was speaking to them. They eventually wrote down what they thought they saw and heard. Even when they weren't hallucinating, they thought the moon was trying to communicate with them.

"I thought they might have been crazy. We had been wandering around in that forest for so long that I thought they were just finally losing it. It wasn't until we found a few people camping, just like us, that I found Jonathan and I's opportunity. My brothers have always had a knack for telling stories. As they told those campers what they had been seeing and hearing from the moon, I realized that those people actually believed them. The next day, they brought others out to the forest to hear my brothers' tale. I'll never understand what made those people believe my brothers, but I couldn't turn down an opportunity.

"I eventually led everyone to the compound, what they would then decide to call the Sanct. Corinthian and Jeremiah despised alchemy, probably because they could never understand it. That's why I always snuck off after they had fallen asleep to research with Jonathan. That's why we made sure to hide all of the books. We didn't want to scare any of them off. We would eventually need those people for when we were ready to attempt human transmutation. It took years of research before we finally gained the courage to try out the first array. By that point, the congregation had grown to nearly two hundred members and was still growing. We practically had an endless supply of test subjects."

Roy nearly shuddered at the answer. How someone could see other humans as nothing more than test subjects was beyond his understanding and disturbed him more than he was willing to admit. A quick glance at General Grumman told him the man was thinking the same thing.

At least they were finally getting some answers.

"Why did you leave the Disciples of the Moon?" Roy continued.

"Jonathan and I ran into a few obstacles in those books. Not all of them had been translated. We travelled around Amestris, searching every library we could find to help us translate the rest of the books. We returned once we were finished."

"Why did you go through with the whipping? I heard your brothers didn't want you to."

That was something Roy never understood. If Corinthian and Jeremiah were willing to spare their brother the punishment, why didn't he take advantage of that opportunity? He'd seen how the whipping had reduced Ed's back to a mess of mutilated flesh. He didn't even want to think about how long it was going to take the kid to completely recover.

Absalom chuckled, but it was dry and lacked any real humor behind it.

"It showed that even I wasn't exempt from punishment. If I abided by 'the Moon's' rules, the rest of the congregation would see my devotion and be more willing to follow me despite leaving them for a few years. It looked like I actually repented of my sins against 'the Moon'. When it came time to start our experiments, no one even questioned 'the Moon' choosing who it did solely because I gave them the news. It was definitely worth it. However, I have to say it was much more fun delivering that punishment to Edward."

Roy tensed and grit his teeth. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Roy, you need to calm down," Grumman hissed in his ear.

The Colonel took a deep breath. His superior was right; however, the satisfied smirk on Absalom's burnt face did nothing to quell his desire to strangle him with his bare hands.

"I briefly considered keeping the Fullmetal Alchemist around to help us with our research," Absalom continued. "However, Jonathan gave me some perspective. He obviously was not chosen to discover the true theory of human transmutation. Those metal limbs are evidence of his failure. He was not worthy enough to join us in our discovery."

"That didn't mean you had to torture him," the Colonel growled.

"Well what else was I supposed to do, Flame? He didn't help us narrow down which array to use. He needed to pay for hindering this advancement in alchemy."

"I think that's enough!"

The General wrapped his arms around Roy and had to practically carry him out of the room.

"General, let me go!"

Once they were out of the room and down the hall, Grumman released his subordinate.

"Colonel, you need to get a hold of yourself. I hate what Absalom did to Major Elric. I can't believe he would treat human life so cheaply that he only saw the congregation as subjects for his sick experiments. He deserves to be in so much more pain than he's in now, but I can't let you do anything. He's due to be transported to the prison in Central as soon as he's well enough to travel. If anything happens to him, you'll be the first person the higher-ups in Central will suspect. I won't have you getting into trouble over that poor excuse of a human."

Roy didn't protest the General's words. Deep down, he knew the man was right, but he wanted nothing more than to set Absalom aflame and make him suffer a slow, excruciating death. The man definitely deserved it, especially since he felt absolutely no guilt for murdering eight people and felt justified in torturing his youngest subordinate.

Hell, he even seemed to enjoy torturing Ed.

Grumman sensed the Colonel's inner battle.

"Roy," he said, putting his hands on the Colonel's shoulders, "I know this is hard for you. Jonathan and Absalom did unspeakable things. Jonathan is already dead. It might be awhile, but Absalom will get the punishment he deserves as well. Right now, the military needs to focus on helping the Disciples of the Moon find their way back home. Absalom and Jonathan took advantage of these people. They were looking for a place where they could belong. They wanted something that would give them hope. That's been ripped away from them. The victims...we need to notify their families of what really happened to them." He held up a hand when he saw Roy was about to interrupt. "We can handle that. You, Lieutenant Hawkeye, and Lieutenant Havoc need to rest. It's been a long couple of days for you all. However, I do request that at least one of you remain with Major Elric. I could hear the hell Absalom put him through. It might comfort him to have a familiar face by his side."

A private suddenly came running down the hall.

"General Grumman, there's a call for you from General Hakuro!"

The General turned on his heel and made to follow the private. Roy's eyes widened when he suddenly remembered Absalom's words.

"General, about what Absalom said…." he trailed off, hoping his commanding officer would catch on.

"I'll be there in just a minute," Grumman told the private before turning back to the Colonel. "As far as I'm concerned, the thought of being chosen to find the true theory for human transmutation drove Jonathan and Absalom into madness. I can't think of any other explanation for accusing a fifteen-year-old of committing the taboo. I know Major Elric is a prodigy, but even he couldn't attempt such advanced alchemy."

Roy nearly missed the smirk on his superior's face before he walked down the hall. He couldn't help but grin.

Ed and Al wouldn't have to worry about the higher-ups asking questions.

"Colonel?"

The clanking of armor echoed behind him. Before he turned around, he found himself in a bone-crushing hug and lifted off the ground.

"Al…please…put me down…." he gasped, unable to breathe.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

Once the younger Elric set him down, he faced the overly affectionate suit of armor.

"It's just…thank you. Brother told me everything. He told me how he was bleeding out…but you cauterized the wounds. Y-You saved his life, Colonel. I don't know how I can ever repay you. He's all I have."

Roy grinned at the suit of armor and put a hand on his chest plate.

"There's nothing to repay, Alphonse," Roy said. "I'd do anything for my men, and that includes you and Fullmetal. However, I do have one request for you and your brother."

Al perked up.

"Anything! What is it?"

"I want you and Fullmetal to stop thinking you two are all alone. You guys have the strongest bond that I have ever seen. No one else will be as close to you two as you are to each other, but that doesn't mean you two are alone. There's an entire team in East City that's supporting you and would do anything they could to help you. You and Fullmetal need to remember that."

Being much more gentle, Al pulled the Colonel closer to him.

"Thank you, Colonel. We'll remember that, I promise."

The younger Elric released Roy from the hug. That's when the Colonel finally noticed the long-haired boy peeking out from behind the suit of armor.

"Zayne?"

"Hey, Wren! I mean, Roy! I'm sorry. I went to visit Ed earlier. Jean was still there. He told me about you and Riza being undercover."

The Colonel honestly didn't know what to say. He was shocked to see Zayne, but it wasn't an unpleasant surprise.

That kid believed him and Jean, despite what everyone else in the congregation thought. He was willing to help them evacuate the children out of the Sanct, even though there could have been repercussions if someone had reported him to the Jones brothers.

This kid was the bravest person he met in that entire congregation.

"I don't know how I can thank you, Roy," Zayne said. "Because of you, Zachary is still alive. I don't know if I could have handled losing my brother, especially knowing what happened to our father. He and my mom are taking his death really hard. I don't think they can believe they were being deceived this whole time."

Roy nodded.

"I'm sorry about your father, Zayne. I hope your family can find peace."

Zayne ruefully smiled.

"We will. I just wished we had left when he wanted to. He still might be here."

"What's your family going to do now?" the Colonel asked, genuinely curious.

"We're going back to North City. I think a lot of families from the congregation are going home as well. Some are in denial, though. They don't believe Brother Jeremiah's dead or that Brother Absalom had been performing alchemy this whole time. They're waiting for the Jones brothers to show up and continue leading them in the ways of the Moon."

Roy wasn't surprised in the slightest. Some of those people had been following the Jones brothers for several years.

Honestly, it made him sad.

As much as he hated the Disciples of the Moon for standing by and encouraging the brothers to torture Ed, a part of him knew they were practically brainwashed. He just wanted them all to return to their homes and try to fit in with the rest of society again.

The longer they stayed in denial, the longer it would take for them to move on with their lives.

"Well, Zayne, you were a great help to us by getting all of the children out of the Sanct. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know. Lieutenants Hawkeye, Havoc, and I will be more than willing to help your family out."

He extended his hand out to Zayne, who shook it gratefully.

"Thank you, but I don't think that will be necessary. We're getting on a train in the morning to North City. Some of the inns in Freyvale have offered the congregation a place to sleep until we can get home or figure out what to do next."

Roy nodded.

"Is there anything I can do?" Al asked the two. "Brother's asleep right now, but I know he would want me to do something to help."

Before Roy could even open his mouth, Zayne spoke up.

"If you want, you can come with me and play with some of the children. They don't really understand what's going on, and I think it's best to keep them occupied until their parents decide what to do."

"Okay!"

The suit of armor didn't hesitate to follow Zayne. The Colonel grinned. It didn't surprise him at all that those two had just met and already got along.

They were both great kids, after all.

He walked back to Ed's room. He noticed Jean was gone and Riza was practically falling asleep in the chair beside Ed's bed. He gently shook her awake.

"Why don't you get some rest? I can watch over him."

He didn't expect for his First Lieutenant to actually follow his suggestion, but she got up and left the room without needing to be told twice. Despite the sleep she had gotten last night, she still had to be exhausted. They all were. He also didn't expect for the young alchemist to start sitting up as Riza was leaving.

"Al told me you were asleep."

Ed rubbed his eyes. He was obviously still tired.

"I just can't seem to sleep for very long," he mumbled before finally looking at his commanding officer. "Zayne came by."

Roy smiled.

"He told me. He and Al ran into me in the hallway. He and his family are going back home to North City, but I'm sure he already told you that."

Ed managed a small grin, but it faded quickly.

"Do you know what's going to happen to the rest of the congregation?" he asked.

Of course Ed would be worried about them. Roy almost chuckled at the dark irony. The very kid that the Disciples of the Moon were encouraging the Jones brothers to sacrifice was the one that was probably worried about them most.

"From what Zayne told me, most of the families are going home. Some aren't sure where they're going yet, and some think the Jones brothers are going to return."

Ed visibly shuddered.

"What's going to happen to Corinthian and Absalom?"

"Corinthian will be spending a few years in the prison here in Freyvale. While he wasn't a part of the murders, he did help torture you and he has to suffer the consequences for that. Absalom will be imprisoned in Central. After his trial, he's probably going to receive the death penalty."

Ed's eyes narrowed at him.

"You talked to Absalom, didn't you?"

Much like the previous night, he had unconsciously crossed his arms. Based on Ed's reaction, he guessed that his gaze must have darkened considerably.

He nodded.

"Why…why did they do it?"

Roy took a deep breath.

"According to Absalom, no one knows who built that compound or wrote those books. He thought he and Jonathan were chosen to find them and come up with the true theory for human transmutation. I guess you could say they were crazy, but not religiously so as we had initially thought."

"So they thought they could just use the congregation for their experiments? That's just sick."

"For once, I completely agree with you, Fullmetal."

"Colonel, is it wrong…I mean I'm not happy that Jonathan is dead and Absalom probably will be too, but…."

Roy smiled at his subordinate.

"Fullmetal, it's not wrong to be grateful that they can't hurt anyone else. I don't think anything could have been done to stop them from their research. Dedicating years of their lives to study human transmutation drove them to insanity, especially studying a theory as dark as sacrificing another human to account for the soul. They preyed on people that were desperate to find hope. It's okay to be glad that Jonathan and Absalom aren't out there anymore."

Ed nodded.

"Thanks, Colonel."

"You're…are you cold?"

His brow furrowed when he noticed Ed shivering. The kid looked down, avoiding Roy's gaze.

That meant yes.

The Colonel also noticed Ed's eyelids starting to droop shut. It looked like he could fall asleep at any second.

"Do you want me to get you another blanket?"

Hesitantly, Ed shook his head. Roy tilted his head to the side. His subordinate was nervous.

"Fullmetal, it's not trouble at all for me to get you a blanket if…."

_Oh._

He grinned as he remembered first sneaking into Ed's cell. He'd held Ed in his lap to keep him warm. It had taken him awhile, but he recalled Ed finally being able to relax and seem almost comforted by the embrace.

Then the previous night with him and Riza, he'd actually looked at peace.

_"I could hear the hell Absalom put him through. It might comfort him to have a familiar face by his side."_

General Grumman was completely right. There was no doubt in his mind that Ed would suffer nightmares for a long time after what he just went through. That's probably why he was having trouble sleeping.

Not needing to be asked, he sat down next to Ed. He settled back against the pillows and gently wrapped his arms around Ed. The kid relaxed almost instantly, letting his head rest on the Colonel's chest. His eyes closed.

Sleep was coming to claim him quickly.

"If you want, we won't ever speak of this again," Roy joked.

Ed smiled.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

Roy stared down at the kid in his arms, happy that he could sleep peacefully. He certainly deserved it.

He thought back to Zayne. He was grateful that his family realized they didn't need to be part of that cult to find hope and peace.

He hoped the others would as well.

He hoped that they could see the Disciples of the Moon for what it truly was: a cult. The Jones brothers didn't have the key to the hope and peace they were looking for. They never had, and they never would.

They would have to embark on their own journey to find it, just like everyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been hoping to get this story on AO3 for quite some time, and I finally did it! I've got a couple oneshots that I hope to post on here as well. The next chapter of The Sun Still Rises is in the works, and I've got several more fanfic ideas for FMA, so I'll be around!
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> alightintheshadows


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